Closer
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: The original story of A Traitor Branded that was scrapped. Will be finishing now. SasuHina, AU. **Renamed due to completely different plotline/development** Complete. Image by Kamulat.
1. Chapter 1

**YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS BEFORE READING THE STORY.**If you don't read and then complain I will feel no sympathy. :p

Some of you might remember me saying that when I posted _A Traitor Branded_ that it was a re-written version. Well, after talking to Fairheartstrife she convinced me to upload the original story and then she encouraged me to finish it (go give her praises and love, she totes deserves it). So I plan on it and I figured if she liked it that I'd share it with you guys too.

**THIS STORY IS THE ORIGINAL AND HAD INITIALLY BEEN SCRAPPED.** You are _going_ to see some similarities, things that made it over to the one I had initially posted. The actual storyline, however, flows in a completely different direction. This story was meant to be more emotional _and Sasuke wasn't a nutjob_. I wrote this story _before_ the Danzou fight meaning this was _before_ Sasuke went bonkers.

This story will be updated once a new chapter is completed. **Unbeta'd.**

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A Traitor Branded(Original)

Chapter 1

(Dedicated to Fairheartstrife, because this fic would never had seen the light of day without her support)

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"_I can't feel the way I did before,  
Don't turn your back on me  
I won't be ignored,  
Time won't heal this damage anymore  
Don't turn your back on me,  
I won't be ignored"_

_-'Faint' by Linkin Park_

xxxxx

Black eyes snap open and his back arches as he takes in a painful gulp of air. Immediately images flash in his mind, images that had been so real, felt so real that even though his brain faintly registered it as having already happened there he was, back again as if for the first time.

_How simple. He watches as dark red blood blossoms from the mesh of skin and black steel, pouring down his chest and over his stomach. Slowly, numbly, he watches as his hand rises, too afraid to touch the kunai, too afraid to simply not do anything. Blood splatters over his raised hand and chest, forcing his gaze to the person holding the kunai now embedded in his heart._

_Blonde hair, blue eyes. Bruises all over his face, blood bubbling from tanned lips, tears pouring unchecked down dirty cheeks. He can't help but to notice his own hand, the free hand, hovering over the other's heart. Black and orange fabric is torn, burnt away, revealing charred skin. He looks back at that face, at the smile forming. So sad, so pained, so…relieved._

"_S…Sasu..ke…" the blonde chuckles a bit and he cannot help the small smirk that emerges on his face as well. "I…it's over."_

_Over. Revenge, taken. Madara, dead. This final battle, had it even been necessary? Yes, it had been predestined after all, hadn't it? The two of them, dying at each other's hands._

_His last thought was,'Killed by a kunai. How simple.' Then he surrendered to the welcoming darkness._

Sasuke was clearly aware that he was _not_, in fact, dead; the fire in his chest was more than proof of that. His back slams into something soft as his breathing goes from heavy gulps to rapid breaths. His eyes squint closed because _damn_ it hurt like a _son-of-a-bitch_ and he needed to focus. Focus. With some effort, he was able to calm his breathing, lying prone on he was confident was a bed. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by a familiar ceiling. Pale white with lights overhead; a ceiling he's seen many times in his youth. As realization dawns on him rage slowly begins to fill him, his black eyes flashing red and then…

Pain. Unimaginable pain.

He tries to move his arms and _cannot_, he is strapped – no this is something else. A sharp cry escapes pale lips as he endures something similar to having someone drive a long, thin needle into his brain at various angles and degrees. He stops his attempt to activate the Sharingan and instead tries once more to calm his breathing. Once that is done, his brain begins to work frantically at what_ the hell_ _just happened_.

He was spared a bit of analysis as a voice breaks the silence of the room. Female, unfamiliar. It has a commanding tone, she sounds older.

"Glad to see you awake Uchiha." The voice drones, the humor in her voice a little dark. Sasuke opens his eyes and turns his head, his gaze roving over an older woman with pale blonde hair and interesting brown eyes. She looked in her late forties, lines striking along taut firm lips and sharp eyes. Her body was alarming to look at, she was tall and well framed, with impossibly large breasts which she held no shame in revealing as she leaned over in a chair, sitting in it backwards. Was this Tsunade? He remembered her a bit differently; the first female Hokage who had almost killed herself in protecting the village from Pein. The one who had healed him after Itachi's attack years ago. The infamous diamond Orochimaru had told him about after he had joined rested on her forehead but looked paler. Hadn't she looked younger?

"You're not Hokage." Was that his voice? It sounded horrible, like his throat had been replaced with sandpaper. He watched as her lips quirked and an eye twitched. What was it Orochimaru had said? Something about her temper?

"No, I'm not." It came out tight, clipped. "I do, however, run this hospital in its entirety, so don't piss me off or the food will be terrible."

The Uchiha ignored the warning, once again fighting down a wave of rage. He turned his head from her and tried once again to move his arms. A scowl emerged when he could not. A simple turn of the head and he looked at his arm with detached curiosity. Black markings started from his wrist, disappearing into the light blue cloth of the gown. If it went any further, he was unsure. Turning towards Tsunade, he noticed the other arm held similar markings.

"Noticed that finally?" Tsunade now sounded smug and he turned his dark gaze to her. If she was affected by this she wasn't showing it. "They're binding seals, obviously. Only the people who activated it and the people who will be watching over you while you recover can lift those seals and even then, it'll only be for you to eat, get up to use the restroom and bathe. And you _will_ be watched carefully while you do all of these things. You won't be able to make sudden movements, anything faster than a twitch will lock you up."

"They cover my entire body."

"They cover your arms and legs." she corrected, "I put the seals on myself so there's no escaping them."

Bitch. "My Sharingan…?"

"About _that_." She smiled and got out of her chair. He watched as she pulled a mirror from a dresser to the far left of the room. When she closed the distance between them she held the mirror up so that he could see.

If he could have, he would have killed her right on the spot. Wipe that smirk off her face.

Resting ever so neatly on his forehead was the exact same symbol that branded Hyuuga Neji's forehead, except a different color and with two extra symbols that looked like small diamonds going vertical. It was a dark blue instead of a light green. His face was pale, paler than normal, his eyes sunken in but wide with shock; his mouth slightly agape.

Tsunade sat back in the chair, removing the offending mirror from his face. "That particular curse seal was designed just for you Sasuke. Those two diamonds are extra restrictions. We can release it and reapply it at any moment. One diamond will allow you to use the Sharingan but at a very limited capacity. Removing both of them will allow you to use the full extent, but we can still activate the curse mark at any time. Both diamonds make it impossible for you to use it and you suffer quite painfully for your efforts." She leaned forward then, her eyes steely. "Listen to me Uchiha and listen to me good. If I had had my way, you'd be dead. I _don't_ like you and I don't think you should have been given anything close to a second chance. It wasn't my call though, so you count your damned lucky stars. You are to be confined here in this hospital until _I_ think you're good enough to be released. I have full authority to unleash that curse mark on your forehead and turn your brain into jelly if you decide to get out of line. I really, _really_ hope you give me an excuse to do that."

So then, he was in Konoha. He was _alive_ and in Konoha. What had happened? Naruto had killed him, that wound had been fatal, _Sasuke had walked into it_. He had wanted to die, it was over, he was done. No more Uchiha, revenge was accomplished; he was ready to go to hell. _What the fuck happened?_

"Sakura saved you." Tsunade answered as if reading his mind. "Backup arrived shortly after your fight. Hinata and Ino finished treating the rest of Naruto's injuries, thanks for barely missing his heart by the way, after Sakura stopped the bleeding. Then she went to work on you. You did actually die for a few seconds but Sakura poured the rest of her chakra into bringing you back. Make sure you say thank you."

No. This wasn't how he had wanted it. He had been an avenger, the ultimate avenger. He had never expected to live past that, there _was_ no life past that. On top of that he was _here_ of all places, in the place that had condemned his people, ruined his brother and set him on his path in the first place. Anywhere would have been preferable to this. Anything would have been preferable to this.

Naruto was alive.

Sakura had saved his life.

Fuck them both.

"What does Konoha want from me?" his voice came out strained and rough, but understandable. "Shall I fight for you once more, under force this time? Going to lock me up in a cell and let me rot?" he tried to chuckle but it hurt "I'm sure you're not holding me here out of the goodness of your heart."

Without hesitation, "We want you to rebuild the Uchiha."

His eyes went cold. "I refuse."

"I was lying."

He wanted to scream at her. What was _with_ her and these mind games? Did she really hate him that much? Sasuke looked at this older-looking Tsunade and realized that yes, this woman _did_ hate him. He could see it in her eyes, the way she regarded him as if he were little more than scum, how her eyes seemed to narrow every time he opened his mouth to speak. There was hatred there, but it was hatred born of watching a loved one suffer, born of frustration and sadness of wanting to help someone you loved and could not because of the person right in front of you. She hated him because he had made Naruto and Sakura suffer, two people very precious to her. She hated him because she could not, would not forgive him. That was fine; he didn't want or deserve forgiveness. He held no regrets, which was the look he gave her in response. They stared at each other like that for a moment before she snorted in disgust, standing. Obviously, she was done with him.

"At the moment, the Hokage is negotiating your conditions with the other nations. The Raikage doesn't want your head anymore since you didn't actually kill his younger brother. Looking at it, the only real crimes you committed," she lifted three fingers, ticking one off as she went through a point, "…was killing Itachi, who was a S class criminal anyway, attempting to, and eventually killing Danzou, a traitor to Konoha, and turning on Madara and helping to kill him. What a good boy you were."

He jerked, ignoring the pain in his chest, angry at the way she so casually mentioned Itachi in that equation. "You don't understand anything about me."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it already." She waved a dismissive hand at him. "To be honest, we don't know what we're going to do with you yet, it all depends on what the other nations say and what the Hokage decides to do. He's fighting for you with all of his power, believe that." She didn't sound pleased.

"Naruto." The name slipped past his lips before thought had manifested itself fully. Naruto held the strength of a Kage, that was sure, and he had proven himself over and over again. Sasuke had wanted to be surprised but then again, the fact that Naruto had been becoming stronger and stronger while he had been stagnant was one of the reasons he had left Konoha to join Orochimaru in the first place. The blonde had trained just as hard as he had, trained by one of the powerful Sannin just the same. He had thought he had heard rumors that Kakashi had become Hokage, but perhaps he had stepped down for Naruto. That made sense; Kakashi had never been that ambitious to begin with. So, Naruto had achieved his dream. Sasuke didn't really care about that as much as he thought he would, he had done what he needed to do and had been ready to die. The only thing that bothered him was that with Naruto as Hokage it would be close to impossible to escape. Not that it would deter him, he _would_ escape eventually.

A nod confirmed his suspicions. "You've been unconscious for the latter part of three weeks, he's already become Hokage." Done with the conversation, she walked towards the door. On the way out, however, she paused, turning her head ever so slightly.

"They're dating by the way. Sakura and Naruto. I just thought you should know that. She finally got over you."

That earned Tsunade a snort from the far end of the room and he said nothing further as Tsunade left him alone. He immediately began testing the strength of his bonds and let his mind roam aimlessly. She hadn't been lying, his legs and arms weren't budging and he wasn't confident enough to try and go through the pain of activating the Sharingan again. That had been a quick and painful lesson.

So he lay in the bed, watching the ceiling for long moments, unable to fully move. He actually had to use the bathroom quite badly and he was starving. Tsunade hadn't bothered to release the seals enough for him to do anything and he refused to soil himself. He was trapped and branded, even if he fled the curse seal would remain forever branded on his forehead and he'd never be able to use his Sharingan ever again. Not only had he been dragged back to the last place he ever wanted to be, they had effectively handicapped him; he was a prisoner in every sense of the word and completely at their mercy. He hated it. Anger and rage filled him so intensely he thought he would forever see red. It took a good minute or two before he was able to calm himself down.

How _dare_ they do this to him? How could Sakura deny him his rightful death? He had done what he was destined to do and his life was over, should have been over. He really didn't even care that Naruto had survived although he used that as a good reason to be pissed off at him anyway. Sasuke had shed those bonds willingly and yet still…

_They should have let me die. What am I supposed to do now?_

A moment of weakness. What did he have left to live for? He would _not_ restore the Uchiha, that legacy died with him. There was no revenge to be sought and trying to get revenge on Sakura for saving him really seemed ridiculous even to him. Oh, he hated her definitely, but not enough to kill her. Not yet anyway. So what was left for him? He wasn't going to kill himself; he had too much pride for that. They couldn't force him to work for them. Jail? Even if Naruto didn't want to do that, he was fairly positive that the only recourse Konoha would have that would please the other nations would be to put him in a high security prison for the rest of his life.

_Saved me, only to have me locked up for the rest of my life. You're right Tsunade, I should thank her._

Despite there being a lack of windows, he was certain at least a few hours had passed before the door to his room opened. He had expected to see Sakura, or Naruto, expected to watch as their faces looked sad yet relieved to see him, to know that he's alive and well even if it's under forceful circumstances. He had already readied his 'Get lost and die' expression on his face for them in an effort to wipe the potential hopeful smiles off their faces.

What greeted him instead were pale eyes, almost white but with a hint of lavender to them. Instead of tanned and nervous faces it was pale and emotionless. Her face was familiar to him, eyes which were shaped as if constantly sad, round face, bangs in that hime-cut. The hair was longer and she was a few inches taller than he remembered but those eyes, those Hyuuga eyes, he could never forget.

He did not remember her first name, hadn't really cared. It had been her cousin Neji he had been interested in fighting, not the shivering, timid little counterpart. Sasuke kept his surprise as he reassessed her, however, for the years had changed her. As she walked inside she looked neither scared nor timid, her face a calm and perfect mask. Her steps were sure and confident, she didn't look at all nervous at being in the same room with someone as dangerous as he. She carried a tray in her deceptively delicate hands that he determined to be food, cursing his traitorous stomach as it growled loudly in anticipation. He saw amusement flash in those pale depths and he wanted to snarl at her, instead he turned his head away as if looking at the ceiling but continued to evaluate her appearance.

Obviously, the years had been kinder to her than Sakura. Hinata's figure was much fuller, although she hid it behind a massive jacket. Where Sakura was slim and toned, Hinata was curves and softness. Even Karin's body was a little lacking. Not that Sasuke had ever held a particular taste for women, just that Hinata held more of a womanly body, similar to his mother. Speaking of Karin…

"Where are my teammates?" he demanded.

When she pretended as if she didn't hear him, setting up the tray on top of a rack to serve to him, he repeated his demand more forcefully. The second time she shifted her gaze to him and shook her head.

"I'm not allowed to give you that information." To her credit, she actually looked sad about it.

She was definitely not the timid girl from before. Gone was the stutter, replaced by a soft quiet. She didn't raise her voice but it didn't quiver either. Quiet but firm.

Fine then. "Who is?"

Turning away from him, she shifted the rack so that the tray hovered over his stomach. Then she shifted closer to his bed, her eyes glancing at him for just a second before he heard the click of a button. The bed jerked and then began to rise until he was sitting up enough to eat his food, were his arms working properly. He gave her a look.

"How am I…"

"I can make it so that your arms can move," she began, "but I'm ordered to do whatever is necessary if you try to fight me. I'd…really like to avoid that if possible Uchiha-san." She was standing now, her hands politely in front of her, stance straight, good posture. Then again, she was supposedly from the main house of the Hyuuga, so she must be well bred. She continued, "I'm one of the people here who will be looking after you, Tsunade-sama and my family are well versed in the seals on your body now." He caught a flash of sadness in her eyes, but she didn't apologize for his situation as he initially thought she would. Not that it would have mattered, he didn't want or need her pity.

"So you're my nurse?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose," came the soft reply.

"Hn." There wasn't much else for him to say to that. The Hyuuga female must be much stronger indeed if she was sent to watch over Sasuke. He tried to shrug and failed. "I was told even if I twitched the marks would lock me up."

The girl nodded "Yes. I've been told to…spoon feed you," she finally hesitated, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of doing such a thing. "But, I don't want to do that. Um, as long as you move slowly, the seals won't activate." She gave him a look that said _'So please don't try anything, I _really_ don't want to spoon feed you._' Just as well, he didn't want to suffer the humiliation. As hungry as he was, however, he had a more pressing need, and he wasn't in the mood to be civil about it either.

"So, since Tsunade doesn't believe in letting her patients relive themselves, are you going to give me a bedpan or will I be forced to call you in later to change the sheets?"

He watched, rather amused, as the Hyuuga's eyes widened into saucers and she scrambled, with some skill he noted, to remove the tray and the sheets. Cold air hit him and he realized he had been completely stripped and was wearing nothing but a hospital gown. No pants Tsunade? For shame.

The girl went through various hand seals and his body jerked as he was suddenly released from his hold. Even if he had wanted to try and escape his body felt unnaturally heavy and weak. How long had Tsunade said he had been out? Three weeks? And that was after dying and being brought back to life. He hated to admit it, but he was going to need the girl's help to go to the restroom. His jaw clenched and he was about to open his mouth when suddenly she was on the other side of the bed, letting the bars down at his side and legs. Then, without asking permission or anything of the sort, she took his arm and put it around her shoulders, her other arm moving around his waist. Instead of protesting he merely shifted his body and allowed her to support him. Well, allowed was somewhat of an exaggeration, he had to let her support him, he couldn't stand on his own. They stumbled at first, his surprise at how utterly useless his legs were and her surprise at the abrupt shift of weight causing them both to almost collapse to the floor. A familiar hum of chakra filled the air and then the two of them were standing upright.

"S-sorry," she stammered out. She waited for him to get comfortable with putting weight on his legs and then they slowly shuffled their way to the bathroom. By the time he reached it, he was at the very least able to stand on his own. There were support bars for him along the walls, which he used to brace himself up. When he lifted up the gown a quick movement from her caught his attention. She had turned her back from him.

"I thought you were supposed to watch me do this in case I try anything funny."

The female stiffened and her ears turned a bright shade of red. "P-please just finish," was her reply.

So her stutter wasn't _completely_ gone. Interesting. He turned back to the task at hand, unable to help a sigh of relief as he was finally able to relieve himself. Even he had basic needs. When finished, she helped him back to the bed and the tray of food was presented to him once again. It wasn't much, a small bowl of rice, some pickled radishes, apple slices and a little bit of fish. It was awkward using the chopsticks when he felt so out of it but he managed and she never once moved to help him. She sat in the chair that Tsunade had been in (correctly, of course), her gaze focused on her lap as her hands did some sort of fidget thing that he couldn't figure out. He watched her as he ate, taking in everything about this new enemy, not wanting to underestimate anyone here for future reference. Yes, he had every intention of getting out of here if possible; he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life in this hole. As this Hyuuga was part of the main branch, no, the _heir_ of Hyuuga, she could control the seal on his forehead which put her on top for people he would have to dispatch to escape.

An eyebrow twitched when she began to actually shift nervously, her pale gaze flicking up to him and then back to her lap. Her lips would part as if to speak, think better of it, and close again. After a minute of this Sasuke's patience wore thin.

"What?" he nearly snarled at her, his expression fully matching his mood. "Just say it, whatever it is."

He hadn't expected her to snap up and meet his gaze with a determination. The fidgeting stopped and her hands balled up into fists. Her eyes narrowed just a bit and he realized that she no longer looked as frail or comical as before. That look almost won a little respect from him. Not quite, but close.

"Are you going to try and kill Naruto-kun again?" she asked the question flatly but there was nothing menacing or harsh about her tone. The question was rewarded with a blank stare for a moment.

"No." and that was the truth. For what reason did he have to kill Naruto now? He didn't stand in his way of revenge; Sasuke had no desire to hold any positions of power so Naruto could keep the Hokage's seat as far as he was concerned. Let him run this worthless place. His lips quirked up a bit as he continued to regard her determined features. "Would you try to kill me if I did?"

She didn't even hesitate. Didn't even blink. "Yes."

This was definitely not the same Hyuuga girl who stuttered and twiddled her fingers whenever someone even so much as looked at her funny. Despite the fact that Sasuke had discarded all of his past bonds, he retained an excellent memory - he was just horrible with names at times. While he had never spared the dark haired girl any real glance at the academy, he did remember her. How she would sit by herself at lunch, how quiet she was. She would sneak around after school to watch Naruto; he had seen that a few times and had discarded it just as quickly. He remembered her being a slightly above average student when it had come to academics and almost below average when it had come to practical application. It wasn't even that she had been terrible shinobi, her form had been fine; she had just poured off 'no confidence', 'no self-esteem'. A worthless ninja if any, he had thought then, although he had appreciated it that she had never joined his 'fan club'. So on a scale of annoying, she hadn't really even blipped on his radar back then. On a scale of _anything_, she had been nothing.

Now he was painfully aware of the fact that the mark on his forehead came from _her_ house and _she_ could activate it at any time. The thought of this frail-looking woman having that sort of power over him was more than a little frustrating. Had Tsunade sent this girl in first to remind him of that? Rubbing it in perhaps? Trying to show him how futile trying to fight and escape really was?

"Are you going to try and destroy Konoha again?" the second question had been a bit quieter than the first and Sasuke had only been half paying attention. She wasn't looking at him directly this time. "I had heard that you had planned on destroying Konoha."

"Pein did a fine job of that, although he left you all alive in the end." And they had sprung back like roaches in the night. What was the point of destroying the village _again_? Besides that, he couldn't do it on his own anyway. If he had Suigetsu or Juugo and a bunch of lackeys perhaps things would go better, but he was no fool. Suigetsu was missing, he was sure Juugo was dead and Karin was useless as a real fighter anyway; Sasuke couldn't destroy this place by himself, not by a long shot. He wished he knew what really happened to them but he was pretty confident that no one here would give him that information. "Besides, does it _look_ like I can destroy Konoha as I am right now?"

The Hyuuga flinched but did not look apologetic. He watched in idle curiosity as her hand moved to her chest, rubbing at a particular spot. The mention of Pein was obviously touchy for her. Was it because he had destroyed the village and killed most of her family before bringing them back to life - What a copout. If you're going to commit mass murder, do it right or don't do it at all - or was it something else?

He allowed the silence to stretch on as he slowly ate his food. It was annoying having to move very slowly so as not to activate the seals on his arms but he managed. When he finished she quietly got up and began to clean.

"Do you want me to keep the bed like this?" she offered, her eyes hidden by her bangs as she dipped her head to look at one of the machines.

"Yes." He preferred sitting up and facing the people he knew would be coming through that door eventually to lying down prone. Less vulnerable. He decided now would probably be a good time to see how much information he could get from her. He was sure that if she was in here, she was aware of some of the more top secret things going on, especially if the Hyuuga were directly involved. She wasn't gullible and using his attractiveness wouldn't help as it would with other females. That fact was actually not as appeasing at it had just been five minutes ago.

"Does Konoha actually expect me to revive the Uchiha clan?" He hadn't believed Tsunade when she said she had been lying. Maybe she held no plans to revive the Uchiha, but he was sure some of the elders might disagree. If it were possible to reestablish the Uchiha and utterly control them, maybe with a system similar to the Hyuuga, he was sure they'd try to do it. Bastards.

"I don't know," she answered and he knew immediately she was telling the truth. "I suppose it would make sense, the Sharingan is powerful and useful for whatever village holds it. Naruto-kun mentioned that you had once said you wanted to restore the clan so, if you heard that rumor that's probably how."

"Well, tell the rumor mill I'd rather die than produce an offspring for this village to control," he spat, his eyes hardening. Yes, years and years ago he had said he wanted to rebuild his clan. That was _before_ he had learned what he had about Itachi, before he realized Konoha's utter betrayal. Would they try to convince him as a way of making up for the slaughter of innocents? Now that the ones responsible for ordering the Uchiha's annihilation were all dead, did the powers that be want to come to him and go 'Sorry, let's try it again?' he snorted out loud at the absurdity of it.

"They're going to lock me away." It wasn't a question but it was definitely a gentle probe. He didn't trust Tsunade not to lie although it seemed like this girl wasn't much for it.

Another shake of the head. "Naruto-kun is fighting to keep you in custody, so no one knows what will happen." A small pause, "He's really happy you're back. And alive."

"I'm sure he is," came the dry reply. He was sure both Sakura and Naruto were very happy, it had never really mattered to them what _he_ had wanted.

"He never lost faith in you, even when everyone told him he should." Her hands were gripping the tray tightly, her delicate eyebrows drawn down in a frown. She wasn't facing him but he could tell from her profile that she was growing upset. Naruto, it seemed, was a very touchy subject for her. "No matter what, he fights for you."

Like he really wanted to hear this. "That didn't stop him from driving a kunai into my chest," he reminded her sharply.

"With Sakura-san around," she reminded _him_, and suddenly he wondered. Suddenly he thought about how much harder Naruto had fought after Sakura had arrived, how serious and determined he had been. How he had let Sasuke deliver the final blow with the Chidori just as he had allowed Naruto to stab him in the heart. He had been ready to die, had embraced it. Had Naruto planned it? Had he planned on Sakura being able to save him? It sounded like a very Naruto thing to do, pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to 'save' someone else. Naruto had never intended for Sasuke to die in the first place.

He had been outsmarted by Naruto. If he honestly thought about it, all of them had. He had acted so determined to kill him, as if that were the only way, as if he had been convinced it was the only way yet held the final trump card. Naruto had known Sakura wouldn't let both of them die, so he had waited, dragged out the fight until she had arrived and then did his ultimate performance. If the thought of that didn't make him so unbelievably enraged he'd probably be impressed with Naruto's cunning. However, he wasn't impressed, he was pissed. Naruto had cheated him of a rightful death and now he would spend his days here, against his will, to appease his selfish friends who couldn't let go of him.

He really wanted to just break shit right now.

Unfortunately, 'breaking shit' wouldn't get him the information he needed or allow him to gauge if he could manipulate this girl and by how much. So he forced himself to calm down and relax his body. Nice, deep breaths.

"I take it then that you're of the same camp as Tsunade? You want me dead?"

The question stunned her and she did finally turn to him, the empty tray now fully in her hands. "N…no, of course not." She looked almost offended. "I'd never _wish_ that on anyone. It's just that Naruto-kun still wants to save you and…"

"I'm not savable?"

"That's your decision, I think. I don't…I don't trust you. You've hurt Naruto-kun so badly, he's not the same anymore and it hurts to see him like that."

"He'll get over his hurt feelings." His voice was lowering the angrier he became. In all honesty, he shouldn't give a damn what this girl thought or how obviously obsessed she was with Naruto's 'feelings'. "And I don't want yours or anyone from Konoha's trust. Trusting you people got my clan wiped out. Or is Konoha still keeping people ignorant of the truth?"

Oh no, she knew. He could tell by the way she reacted that she knew or had some idea. Perhaps now with Danzou gone and everything said and done perhaps it wasn't completely classified anymore. Either way, she squared her shoulders and faced him completely, determination and resolution behind those sad-looking eyes.

"You were going to kill everyone though," she argued. "That doesn't make it better."

"As if you could understand me or my reasoning." He faced her as best he could in his circumstances. He hadn't planned on arguing with her, that didn't produce answers. This was going downhill too quickly and yet he couldn't stop the anger that had been bubbling within him since he realized what happened. "You still have your family, last I checked. You still have your clan, a clan you'll even be _leading_ one day. What could you possibly understand about my pain or suffering? Why I did what I did? Keep your self-righteous bullshit to yourself."

Instead of responding, she quickly turned and began to head for the door. She stopped, keeping her back to him for a moment, before turning to face him. Pain, anger, sadness, and worse of all, _pity_ shone in those lavender depths.

"If understanding you means I would have to accept the killing of innocents just for the sake of revenge, I'd rather stay ignorant. No matter what, no matter what has been done to you, or me, or anyone…it doesn't justify hurting innocent people. What the village did…what Danzou-san and the others decided…it wasn't right. I still don't agree with Itachi-san's actions, and I don't agree with yours. Danzou-san ordered to have your clan wiped out because they threatened the village, he had Itachi-san kill innocents and drove you to revenge. Then you decide that wiping out the village, killing innocents in response is not as bad as what Danzou-san did? I think…the two of you are more alike than you would like to think."

The Hyuuga had never raised her voice, never sounded angry. She still held that quiet tone; it was merely laced with steel and determination instead of hatred and anger. He said nothing as she left; using every bit of willpower he had not to want to say something, _anything_ to lash out at her, to hurt her, to do something for what she had just said to him. His teeth gnashed painfully, his fingers curled up in the sheets slowly until they became tight fists. As the doors slid closed his body jerked as she reactivated the seals on his arms and legs, his hands still balled up into fists. Sasuke fought the urge to activate his Sharingan, had to call on every bit of discipline he possessed as he glared at the door, wishing he could just destroy her right then and there.

How dare she? How _dare she?_ She didn't know shit, didn't understand _anything_. She was nothing but a spoiled Hyuuga, everything having been given to her, never having to really worry about anything. That simple, meek, ignorant little _bitch_…

He forced his thoughts to calm down. Losing it here wouldn't get him out. Like it or not that girl and a few others held absolute power over him. If he wanted to free himself eventually, he would have to come up with a plan. Using Sakura wouldn't work; she was more ruthless than this Hyuuga obviously. Tsunade wanted him dead, Naruto wasn't going to trust him enough to let him go or do anything and he didn't know who the other people were that would be watching over him. Like it or not, the Hyuuga was a good candidate as a source to be used for his freedom, destroying her wouldn't be good. Yet.

That didn't mean he wouldn't make her pay for her words today. Not by a long shot.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** I noticed that almost a month has passed since I uploaded the first chapter, so here's another one. It's not for lack of writing; I'm actually working on many stories and doing request fics (some won't be uploaded here because they're too mature).

Thank you so much for the reviews so far, I assure you even though I don't always reply, I read every single one of them. **Unbeta'd.**

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**2**

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Hours after the Hyuuga girl left, he watched as a flustered, breathless, and obviously upset Shizune entered his room. Well, not exactly 'entered' so much as 'burst in like a bat out of hell'. His gaze followed her nervous scan of the room before coming to rest on his face. He tilted his head slightly.

"I'm still here," he remarked casually. He would have raised his arms in a helpless gesture if possible. He was in such a foul mood at this point he couldn't even be bothered to be amused by her antics.

She didn't seem too amused by his either. "What did you do to Hinata-chan?" When his response was to stare at her as if she were an idiot, she elaborated, "She didn't finish the rest of her shift and left without telling anyone if you were secured or not."

Oh, so the Hyuuga's first name was Hinata. Ah, her claims made sense now. Sasuke merely continued to stare at Shizune blankly, almost clueless, but his mind was working with this new information. So, he had gotten under the Hyuuga's skin? He couldn't help the small smirk that flickered. Good. She deserved it for speaking as if she knew or understood anything about him. In a childish thought, he hoped he had made her cry. The medical ninja caught it, however, and flashed him a dark look.

"Well, you're stuck with me until Ino's shift in thirty and you're scheduled for a bath before she gets here."

The dirty look she gave him did not bode well, he learned. Apparently, she was as sadistic as her master and decided to humiliate him by not only giving him a sponge bath but using the roughest materials she could find and scrubbing his skin raw. He couldn't even be certain she was working with 'medical detachment' as she made sure to skip no corners and he was sure she was enjoying seeing him wince in pain. The situation was utterly humiliating and degrading; all he could do was lie there, helpless, grinding his teeth and wishing he could just light her on fire. Black fire.

Tsunade's minion muttered the entire time. He only half listened to her as she mostly addressed her rather negative opinion of his actions and how he had, basically, emotionally scarred so many close to him and blah, blah, blah. It was the same nonsense Tsunade had spewed except on a longer, more exaggerated scale. Yes, he got it already; he had hurt Naruto and Sakura's delicate feelings. They mourned and craved after him for years while he eventually forgot their existence. Yes, he was heartless, cruel, unfeeling, all of those negative adjectives these hypocrites wanted to give him. Why was it _his_ fault those two hadn't wanted to move on? It wasn't as if they had known each other their entire lives; it wasn't even as if he had shared any real deep secrets with them, especially Sakura. He had kept his distance on purpose, not wanting to get close, not wanting to establish any ties. When Itachi came and reminded him of what his true purpose was, he knew he had slipped up, knew he had done the exact thing he shouldn't have. He had allowed them to get close, just close enough to affect him. When he cut those ties, he never looked back, never allowed them to come back to haunt him. Was it really his fault that his past became a distant memory? Was it his fault that those two never got that through their heads?

As far as Konoha was concerned, yes. He would not regret his actions; he didn't care how many of the self-righteous bastards came in and tried to convince him otherwise. Sakura and Naruto's pain was _their own_.

Thankfully Shizune finished, even going so far as to give him a new gown, complete with pants. She wasn't so sadistic after all. His skin, however, was a bright red and practically throbbing from the 'scrub' she had given him. A very small part of him almost regretted chasing the Hyuuga away; she would have let him bathe himself. It would have soothed the burning humiliation and degradation of this entire situation. All of this was a huge proverbial slap in the face for him, more reminders that he was completely and utterly at the mercy of his captives. And yes, no matter what _they_ thought, he saw them as the enemy and his jailors. No matter what his 'well meaning friends' wished for him, things would never be what they once were. He would never regard them the way they wanted. That bond, that friendship, was gone forever.

About five minutes after Shizune left a woman who Sasuke could only determine was Ino emerged. He had to admit he was surprised by her appearance, she looked much more womanly and serious than Sakura; she was taller, wider hips and larger bust. Her hair had been kept long and her bangs now covered one eye. To Sasuke, Sakura hadn't changed much in appearance, whereas Ino had done a complete 180. The change was so drastic in comparison he almost hadn't recognized her. He could only assume this was because he had rarely associated with Ino in the past, whereas Sakura had been his teammate. A huge grin graced her pretty features, her blue eyes focusing on him. He watched numbly as her cheeks heated in a soft blush.

"…Ino…?" it sounded like a question. It mostly was.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed. Apparently the fact that he remembered her name all she needed to bound forward and slam her body into his, her arms wrapping around his neck. Sasuke's breath left in a rush and he raised his head so that her head wouldn't slam into his face, unable to move to push her off of him. He noticed that she smelled of roses and hairspray before she pulled away from him, tears in her eyes.

And then she slapped him.

"That was for Sakura-chan!" she snapped but he only barely heard her over the roaring in his ears, fighting down the urge to want to attack her out of instinct. Instead a muscle in his jaw twitched and dark eyes snapped up at her. If looks could kill.

She didn't at all look apologetic. "I still love you Sasuke-kun, but you're an asshole." She wiped at her face then, a myriad of emotions emerging. "I'm so glad you're alive, I can hardly believe I'm looking at you…"

Initially, Sasuke believed that Ino would not be a candidate to manipulate into helping him escape. Had she not slapped him, he would have assumed that she was still blindly loyal to him and use her fangirl crush to his advantage. With that slap and her proclamation towards Sakura, however, he realized where her true loyalties laid.

He changed his mind shortly after when she continued to speak and treat him. For some reason she still held her fascination over him with those old childish claims of being in love. It was really difficult for him to understand it, he had never even given Ino the time of _day_, what was she holding onto all these years? At least Sakura had an excuse; the two of them had been teammates. He had shown her a moment of weakness before he had left, thanking her for everything. At the time, he had meant it. Sakura had Naruto had shown him a possible life he could have lived; one where he would have been happy, just the three of them. It had been good while he had embraced it, he wouldn't lie. He held no such ties with Ino, however, so was she really in love with him or with an idea of him? Either way, if he worked on her perhaps he could convince her to break those ties with Sakura once more, promising her a future with him. Cliché, cheesy, morally wrong, yes. Potential ticket to freedom? Completely worth it.

As Ino spent the next five hours with him, he remained silent through her prattling, either half listening or not at all. He couldn't manipulate a complete stranger; they'd be too terrified of him and much too wary. They had robbed him of his bloodline limit, so all he could rely on was raw skill for escape ideas. Anyone who had considered themselves 'close' to him would do everything they could to keep him around. People like Shikamaru, who didn't care either way, were too intelligent to be manipulated. The more he went through the list of prospects, the bleaker his chances seemed. He didn't let himself become discouraged; he _would_ leave this place or die trying; all it meant is that it would take a very long time to accomplish his goals. He wasn't completely impatient, he had trained for years to defeat Itachi; he could wait if he had to. So far there was Ino as a potential, but he would have to be careful. Sometimes the easiest looking route wasn't always so easy.

Sasuke eventually decided that escaping would be his new goal in life. He had to set one; it was either that or go insane without a goal or purpose. If he could not live for revenge, he would live for freedom. After that he would set another goal, but trying to escape Konoha was good enough for now. Thinking of it like that made the prospects look a little less bleak. He would wear down potential people bit by bit; do whatever he needed to do to get people's guards down. It would require lying, pretending to accept his new life until they were convinced. He had to be careful, it couldn't be sudden or they'd get suspicious. He'd wait a few months, maybe even a year, to start to 'open up' again. With that decided he put it on the backburner. For now, he had his role to play.

He didn't recall Ino leaving, only that one moment she was in the room chattering away and the next there was complete silence. Blinking, he even realized that his pillows seemed a bit fluffier and realized she must have changed them. Even the top sheets seemed crisper. Had he really been out of it? The Uchiha had to admit that with the drugs they were pumping into him he tended to get lost within himself but he should have noticed her being that close to him. Hm.

His eyes slid up at the sound of his door closing once more. It was frustrating not having a clock in this room, he couldn't determine the passage of time. He discovered that shifts went in intervals of hours but he hadn't yet figured out how many hours exactly that was. The male that came in was not one he recognized and wore standard scrubs of a medical nin. Sasuke took that time to ask him some idle questions and while he had discovered only little by word of mouth, a few days of observation told him much.

The Uchiha learned overall that shifts were in five hour intervals. The nurses were not required to watch him around the clock inside the room but were required to be in the vicinity in case he needed anything or in case something happened. Every hour they were required to come and check his vitals and ensure that the pain medication was flowing through the IV. He had a hint that the pain medication was also the reason he was having a hard time focusing on things around him at times, drifting in and out of his thoughts. All of it was a tad annoying and he was sure there was much more he didn't know or understand. He did not enjoy being at that sort of disadvantage when it came to his body.

After that more nurses he didn't recognize came in for shifts and he learned through the rumor mill that Tsunade expected Sasuke to be ready for release within another week or so. For the most part his injuries were healed and his heart would be fine if not a bit scarred. It might have been part of Naruto's plan for Sasuke not to really die, but that hadn't stopped him from making the blow lethal. Surprising, as Tsunade told him _he_ had missed Naruto's heart by inches. Not that the chidori required him to make a direct blow, inches was good enough; it was the principle of the matter.

So, if what the nurses were saying was true and by his own estimation, by the time Naruto and Sakura entered his room a total of almost forty hours had passed starting from when he had first opened his eyes. By then he had already been fed and used the facilities, although he felt a little out of it from the drugs. His vision was only slightly unfocused as the couple entered, eyes bright yet nervous and wary. Despite the dizzy sensation he still managed to keep his head raised. His eyes narrowing was only an added benefit, they didn't need to know he was scowling because of his lack of vision.

Naruto entered first, clad in a strange long black jacket with orange flames at the bottom. He had let his hair grow out a bit more making him look oddly like someone he had seen before but the name and significance escaped him. Naruto was still shorter than him but taller than Sakura. A strange necklace hung from Naruto's neck but other than that, he wore the same black pants and shirt as always. Sakura's hair was also growing again, hanging down to her lower neck instead of at her chin. She stood a bit behind Naruto, her face a mixture between guilt, sadness, excitement, and caution. As if needing the reassurance as well as making an obvious statement to Sasuke, the pink-haired woman reached out and took Naruto's hand. The blonde didn't look back at her although his face softened and he squeezed Sakura's ungloved hand. Sakura, however, made sure to meet his gaze as Naruto's grip tightened, as if to say '_this is what you could have had._'

Sasuke's return gaze was something along the lines of '_I never wanted it in the first place'._ That did make her turn her gaze away and he felt a bit better about himself at her pained expression. Had he ever wanted Sakura? He had thought she was annoying and a worthless member of the team for quite some time. Although she had been easier to deal with than Naruto, her uselessness and narrow-minded views had grated on his nerves. In addition, Naruto had made it _more than obvious_ he was in love with Sakura, a situation Sasuke had never wanted to get involved in. The last thing a team needed was a hopeless love triangle to distract them from important missions; at least, that was what he had thought at the time. So, he had valued her friendship and companionship. He had admired the fact that she had started to try more to become stronger instead of depend on the two of them. Yes, he had even thought she was pretty. Had he ever wanted to date her? No. It was too easy to see the irony of the situation; Naruto pining after Sakura and being rejected while Sakura went to Sasuke in the exact same manner. Many times he had thought the two of them deserved each other and was not surprised to see them together now. Maybe now that they were together they'd finally move on and stop pining over him like two whiny puppies. One could only hope.

"Sasuke," Naruto began, sliding his hand from Sakura's to close the distance and face him. Sasuke hated it, but he had to tilt his head so he could look up, _look up_, at Naruto. "Told ya I'd get ya back didn't I?" His smile was as nervous as his voice and Sasuke could only glare up at him in response.

"Sakura," he began after a moment, keeping his gaze on Naruto, "Tell me, did this idiot boyfriend of yours tell you he purposefully tried to throw his life away because he knew you'd come to heal me first?"

One could have cut the tension with a kunai, it was that thick. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura stiffen and gasp. Oh, Naruto hadn't told her then? Well, he had officially guaranteed Naruto a future ass kicking from Sakura. Today was starting to look up. He was sure she still had a mean left hook.

Naruto's expression tightened, hardened even, and there was a flash of pain and even…regret there?

"Sakura-chan didn't heal you first Sasuke." The blonde's voice was quiet, solemn. Even Sasuke couldn't hide his surprise at that proclamation. "She stopped the bleeding for me and when backup arrived she went to treat you while Hina-chan and Ino continued to treat me."

"It took her long enough to choose." was Sasuke's response. Sakura wasn't fully over him, he could tell that, but that bit of information let him know that she had finally moved on. He did look at her then, taking in how the color had drained out of her face and her fingers shook as they covered her mouth, understanding the severity of what Naruto had tried to do and of her own actions. Naruto had expected Sakura, who had loved Sasuke for as long as she could remember, to save him first and to get to Naruto after. What the pain and regret was there for he wasn't entirely sure.

The next look Sasuke got was confusing to him. "You…you really never loved Sakura-chan…did you?" Naruto looked as if he were pleading. What did this idiot want him to say? Why were they asking him these questions?

"No." No hesitation. "We were twelve, idiot, what do you think? I had other things, _better_ things on my mind. You two were comrades, friends, nothing more."

To Sakura's credit, she didn't slump or drop to her knees as if he had punched her in the gut. She merely closed her eyes, sighed sadly, and walked over to join Naruto. When her green gaze met his next, she seemed closed off, distant. Just as well, she needed to face reality. They had been kids back then and then he had cut ties, there had been no room in his heart for love then and there wasn't now. The fact that she had held onto it for so long, still held onto it, was ridiculous.

"Well," Naruto began, cutting into the silence "I think the other villages will let us keep ya, I'm still hearing from them. Granny told me ya think I'll put you in the slammer…I wouldn't have gone through the trouble to bring ya home to just lock ya up," He shrugged "I got plans."

"What _sort_ of plans?" Sasuke wanted to know.

Naruto went and did that annoying scratching his head thing and looked sheepish. How the hell was this joker Hokage? "I can't tell ya just yet. S'surprise."

"You're kidding." No really, he was joking. What, did Naruto think this was a vacation for him? He was _trapped_ here, a prisoner, and Naruto was talking as if he had gotten him a fucking _present_ or something. "Don't screw with me Uzumaki."

Sakura moved to say something but Naruto moved to block her way "Look, I know this sucks but I had to do it this way okay? They wanted you _dead_ Sasuke, I couldn't do that-"

"And of course you couldn't ask me what _I_ wanted right?" There it was, that anger again. "What if I told you I had _wanted_ to die that day? What if I told you that I'd rather _die_ than be stuck here for the rest of my life, stuck in the place where my family was _slaughtered_ by this village's orders?" He was practically shouting now, ignoring the burning pain in his chest, ignored how difficult it was to continue focusing on them.

The Hokage looked as if he had been slapped "You don't mean that…"

"Fuck you; you don't know anything about me," Sasuke snarled. "All the two of you _idiots_ could think about were yourselves, your memories of me, how much you wanted them back. You didn't give a damn about whether or not I _wanted_ to come back; you would convince me of the 'error' of my ways. Was that the thought you two had in your brains? 'If we get him back, we can make it better, we'll have our team back, we can be happy again'; never mind if I was happy or not in the process, it was all about what _you_ wanted. Well, I'll make it clear for you so that there's no confusion in the future: I didn't _want_ to come back. I don't _want_ to be here. I don't _regret_ anything I've done, that _includes_ leaving. I'm a prisoner here, forced to be here against my will because you two couldn't get over the fact that I had moved on without you. I don't want to have _anything_ to do with either one of you and things will _not_ go back to the way they were." his eyes narrowed and a cruel smile slowly emerged. "You wanted me, you got me, whether I like it or not. Congratulations, mission complete. Now get the hell out of my room, the sight of you two makes me sick."

The two left shortly after, Naruto claiming that he'd return and that Sasuke would eventually 'understand', he'd make sure of it. The idiot was tenacious, that was for sure. Sakura didn't say anything at all; she hadn't needed to. Those expressions of hers had spoken volumes. He had to admit he felt a lot better having gotten that all out of his system, and he fell into a fitful sleep shortly thereafter.

He didn't see Naruto again. Sakura, as one of the nurses who was familiar with the seals on his arms, appeared over the next few weeks. They spoke little if at all; Sakura would come in, check his vitals, see to his needs and then leave. If anything, she was like one of the regular nurses, except for the obvious tension between them. Often Sakura would open her mouth as if she wanted to say something, think better of it and continue with her work. The girl was brooding really, going over his words over and over - at least, that's what he was assuming - and figuring out what she wanted to do with that information before finally addressing him with whatever speech he knew was going to be coming.

One person he did not see again was the Hyuuga, which only struck him at odd times and then was quickly dismissed. Perhaps he had overestimated her after all if she ran away after that one encounter. If he was never going to see her again then he wasn't going to worry about her being an immediate threat to him any longer. Instead he focused on healing and was pretty much healthy and good to be released around the time the rumor mill had predicted. The only reason he was still on hold had to do with whatever 'surprise' Naruto had in store for him. Another three weeks had gone by before he heard any further word. It came in the form of Shikamaru Nara, walking inside of his room with a rather bored expression on his face, Ino behind him.

By this point, Sasuke felt as bored as Shikamaru looked. Being healthy but unable to leave the hospital or do anything unless someone released his seals was mind numbing. When Ino fully entered the room she made the hand signs he had grown familiar with concerning his seals. He didn't even jerk this time when movement was back under his control, he merely got out of bed and stood, regarding them.

Shikamaru tossed a pile on the bed. Clothing. "I've been assigned to take you to where you'll be staying," he drawled. Sasuke's hand moved over the pale clothing and looked back at Shikamaru, keeping his expression blank. Shikamaru might _look_ lazy but there was a sharpness to those eyes of his that could not be ignored.

"You're being released Sasuke-kun!" Ino chimed in, grinning broadly "Naruto finally got the other villages to keep you for good, so long as we…"

"Ino," Shikamaru warned and the blonde clamped her mouth shut and shot him an apologetic smile. The Nara ignored it.

"Look, just get dressed. I'm only escorting you because I can manipulate your shadow. They don't want you trying anything funny. Naruto is there and he'll explain your situation then." He sounded as if he wanted to do anything _but_ escort Sasuke anywhere. "Ino is my backup in case that fails. I promised Chouji lunch today so don't try anything that'll make my job harder than it already is."

"Whatever," was Sasuke's response. With that, Ino quickly, but carefully, removed his IV and shut down all the machines keeping track of his vitals. With a smile and a wink he was eventually left alone to dress. The outfit given was simple, dark blue baggy pants and a long sleeved robe-type bone white top which rested at the hips. Even the sandals were standard issue blue. He used bandages to taper off the pants at the ankles, similar to what he remembered Kakashi doing, and wrapped up his forehead, hiding the curse mark. They had given him only five minutes, he had dressed in three.

As promised, Shikamaru guided Sasuke through the village using his shadow manipulation, Ino right behind him in case she would need to take over his body should that fail. He looked like a prisoner heading to his jail as he walked in-between them, watching as the villagers, some he recognized, some he didn't, stared at him in shock and wonder. Many looked at him in fear, some of the children had even decided to throw rocks at him before Ino ushered them away and scolded parents for not keeping better control over them. For the most part, he ignored it, looking straight ahead, head held high. These people would see nothing but pride for him, he had done nothing wrong. They were the enemies, the criminals.

A lot had changed. Most of the reconstruction here had been done by memory and there were things he found familiar, such as the Yamanaka flower shop and Ichiraku Ramen. Many of the buildings looked a little too fresh, a little too new. Briefly, he wondered if they had bothered to reconstruct the Uchiha territory or if it was something else now. The thought of his home being turned into a business district did little to improve his foul mood.

While he hadn't been around Hyuuga territory much, he knew it when he saw it. There was something noble and regal about the area, as if they knew they were held in high regard and prestigious. The entire place screamed wealth and power. They didn't go near the main compound, instead they moved inside and almost back out again, turning eventually and going deep inside a little mini bamboo forest the grounds boasted of. The clearing they reached was manmade, he could see the freshly cut stalks that marked the border of the area. There rested a house, recently built from what he could tell, in the same traditional style as the other Hyuuga homes. It was much smaller; however, he guessed maybe a two bedroom at best. He noticed a few figures in the distance hiding in the forest. ANBU maybe? With all the precautions they were taking he didn't put it past them. As they approached the house Sasuke found his shadow so abruptly released he almost collided into Shikamaru.

"Naruto's inside…" the chuunin began but was cut off as the Hokage stormed out of the house, the largest, goofiest grin on his tanned face.

"Sasuke!" he greeted, as if the two of them hadn't had the conversation of a few weeks back and they were just the best of friends again. Sasuke snorted and crossed his arms, looking away.

Of course, this did not deter Naruto. "Hey, heyhey, you won't believe how cool this place is!" he spoke in a rush, clapping his hand on Sasuke's arm. When the raven-haired male just stared at him with open hostility he turned his back and began to walk back towards the house.

"C'mon bastard, it's definitely better than jail okay? Just take a look inside!" his arm waved as he moved to walk back inside the house again. The door slid open at the same time Naruto reached out to open it and he staggered a bit. Sasuke heard a gasp and someone exclaim "Naruto-kun!" before the blonde side stepped, laughing and putting a hand behind his head at the almost near collision.

"Haha, sorry Hinata, Sasuke got here and I got excited."

To Sasuke's surprise the Hyuuga girl was the one at the door, although her attire was different. Instead of her normal shinobi clothing she wore a pale violet kimono with a dark blue obi. The kimono itself held no real design, it looked like everyday wear. She ducked her head at Naruto's smile, a blush emerging on her pale face, nervously tucking some hair behind her ear. Those almost eerie pale eyes connected with his dark gaze and she blinked. Her hand moved to her face almost in a thoughtful manner and he couldn't shake the impression that she looked like a doll.

She did not, however, look ashamed, scared, upset, or anything that would denote that she held ill feelings about their encounter. That struck him as odd, hadn't Shizune said that Hinata had practically run off afterwards? That would mean that she should be looking anything but curious right?

"Uchiha-san is here?" she asked in that quiet voice of hers, her gaze flicking back to Naruto, "Um, the futon and everything is ready for him so…"

"Great!" the Hokage slapped Hinata on the back and she jerked forward, eyes wide in surprise. It took her a brief second to regain her balance and shoot him a shaky but kind smile. "You're awesome Hinata, taking on this project on such short notice. Sorry ya missed hours at the hospital."

"It's okay," she said. As Sasuke walked forward, of his own violation, he watched Hinata carefully. The way she fidgeted slightly around Naruto, the small looks of longing mixed in with resolution and resignation. She had difficulty meeting Naruto's gaze at times and Sasuke was able to determine a few things by such a brief encounter.

One, Hyuuga Hinata was in love with Naruto. Made sense, the girl had practically stalked the current Hokage when they were kids. Two, she hadn't 'run away' as he had initially thought, she had been pulled aside to work on this 'housing project' for him. This explained her reaction to him. Three, Naruto was doing a really good job of ignoring the fact that Hinata was in love with him, meaning he _knew_ Hinata's feelings. Naruto hadn't changed that much to the point that Sasuke couldn't read the idiot's expressions. Whenever Hinata looked up at him Sasuke could see the hint of sadness in Naruto's eyes, borderline pity even. The way he acted around Hinata was so friendly it was almost forced, the blonde's movements were slightly jerky, almost as if he didn't exactly know what to do about her, afraid she'd break at any moment. Oh, they _looked_ normal enough but Sasuke knew better. Something had happened between these two, something recent and very raw. Something to use to his advantage later?

Habit had him taking off his sandals before he walked up the stairs, bare feet enjoying the feel of the wood beneath him. It felt like home, his old home, and for some reason that didn't bother him nearly as much as he thought it would. Perhaps because even though those memories had been damaged by his brother, he no longer hated Itachi. It was easier to remember the good times now that they weren't clouded with 'the betrayal'.

"This explains why you never came back," He remarked to her, completely ignoring Naruto. He had told that idiot he wanted nothing to do with him, so it was time to play the part. He watched her response carefully, the small nod of her head, the way she _didn't_ look away from him as she did Naruto, the small step back she took when he got too close. Curious, he decided to just stare at her, wondering if she'd squirm away and hurry back into the house like a mouse to its hole. To her credit, she continued to meet his gaze although she did look a bit uncomfortable. Amusement crept upon him when he saw curiosity float around in there as well.

"Oy!" Naruto practically yelled in his ear and Sasuke snapped his gaze over, eyes narrowing at the Hokage's squinty eyed glare. "Don't ignore me bastard! So so, what ya think? It's all yours, pretty sweet huh?"

"It's still a prison," the Uchiha remarked dryly before turning back to Hinata. "You. Hyuuga. You're in the way."

Hinata moved out of the way automatically before she registered his words, although it was too late by then and he was already inside. He could feel eyes on him as he looked around. The place was small and simple. The flooring was all tatami and it held the fresh scent of it in the air. It was a mix of modern and traditional, the kitchen was to his right and in a corner, he was sure that wasn't covered with tatami but it was blocked off to the point where he couldn't see. There was a hallway to the left and the right of him and the back wall facing the outside was all rice paper screening. There was a kotatsu and cushions sitting in what he believed to be a dining room and a small sofa and recliner off to the left corner where a small television sat. Beyond that there were no real decorations, another reminder that this was not a 'home' but rather a prison.

Further exploration revealed a rather spacious bath, a toilet room, a bedroom which held a low sitting desk, a futon and a small dresser. The second bedroom was exactly the same. The dining room led out to the back yard. This, he was a little impressed with. While the front wasn't so spacious the back held just enough room for a good sparring session. There were even training dummies. Sasuke couldn't help the small smile that emerged; he had been sitting in a hospital for six weeks, he knew he was out of practice and if he was going to eventually get out of here he'd need to stay in shape. The fact that they allowed him this small luxury did not make him forget about the seals, which he pointed out to Naruto when the other male joined him outside.

"We're getting rid of those," he remarked "The one on your forehead though…we can't get rid of that. Once it's there it stays," he even looked apologetic. "All we can do is 'loosen' it up so you can use the Sharingan."

"And when will that be?"

"When ya decide to be one of us again." Naruto's expression was stern and dead serious "That's the deal Sasuke. You get your Sharingan back when ya become a Konoha ninja again."

"I'd rather die."

The Hokage sighed and shook his head. He didn't seem discouraged; he looked more as if he were exasperated from dealing with a stubborn child. That somewhat pissed Sasuke off.

"What's the catch?" no sense in putting off the inevitable.

"Someone who can activate the seals will be with you at all times." This time it was the Hyuuga who interjected, making Sasuke turn and blink in slight surprise. When had she gotten behind him? "Um, it'll be a weekly rotation, that's what the other room is for. We'll be watching over you and seeing to your needs. If after a year you behave, it was agreed that the non-stop watch would break off into weeks. One week someone will be here, the next week you'll be on your own."

"And I'll be visiting when I can," Naruto chimed in, "And so will Sakura-chan. So don't think you've gotten rid of us yet."

He wanted to roll his eyes. Such a situation would have only happened in his dreams, he was sure. Dismissing Naruto's comment, he focused on the Hyuuga girl's words. One guard per week for the entire week. He was sure that there'd be guards stationed in the area as well, just in case. To top it off, they put him in Hyuuga territory; tracking him would only be so simple should he try to escape. They had really been thorough about this, he was impressed. So in short, escape would be extremely difficult even if he were able to get someone to help him. If he could just get that person to release the other seals and allow him to activate his Sharingan in addition to helping him escape it'd increase his chances to well over fifty percent. A Hyuuga would be ideal, a Hyuuga from the main house would be outstanding. Who better to deal with Hyuuga than a Hyuuga?

Patience was key here. He was sure they'd send Hyuuga to watch over him, he'd just have to bide his time and make it work. If they sent him a female near his age that'd be even better; Sasuke hated using the fact that women found him attractive to his advantage but as a shinobi, but as Orochimaru's formal pupil, he knew and understood the art of seduction and manipulation. Hated it, hated the fact that it had been _Orochimaru _and Kabuto who had taught it to him, but it would come in handy now, he was sure of it. He could almost hear Orochimaru giggling right now. Sasuke had always scorned and dismissed that sort of training, claiming he'd never _ever_ need it. The irony of this situation didn't escape him.

"So who is first?" he asked, walking back inside and not looking to see if they'd follow. He knew they would.

"Um, I am."

Stopping abruptly, he waited just a second for her to collide into his back with a squeak and a muffled apology before turning to face her. No, no good. Although she fit the requirements, she was in love with Naruto and had been for years. He wasn't going to get through to her. Even if he could seduce her, which he was fairly certain he could considering the circumstances between her and Naruto and how easily he could take advantage of it, she definitely remained faithful to the idiot and the idiot wanted him to stay no matter what. Pointless.

Well, at least it wasn't Sakura with her awkward stares and tense moments and it wasn't Ino still holding her little fanboy crush on him. He figured the Hyuuga would be more tolerable company; she was quiet and would probably be unobtrusive in her observations of him. She wasn't one of his fangirls, to his joy and regret – he couldn't manipulate her so easily- so he wouldn't have to worry about ignoring lustful looks and hearing pining sighs. Out of all the females he could have gotten for his first week, and despite the fact that he was still somewhat pissed at her for her self-righteousness earlier, she wasn't so bad.

"I hope your cooking is better than Karin's," was all he said as he turned his back from her and headed to his new 'bedroom'.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

xxxxx

He missed her already.

Well, it wasn't really _her_ that he missed, so much as her outstanding, amazing, out-of-this-world cooking. Cooking that could only be described as 'Mother's Best'; Hyuuga Hinata had an amazing talent that no one else came even close to being able to duplicate. After the first few days he hadn't even had the heart to snap at her for every little thing she did, and he had tried. Well, besides that, it was really difficult to snap at someone who really didn't do anything to piss you off.

As suspected, the Hyuuga had pretty much stayed out of his way unless it was to clean or to cook for him. He had been sure that she had kept a sharp eye on him using her Byakugan but he had rarely actually saw her. He had ended up spending his time training until he was too exhausted, would bathe, eat, sleep, and go back outside to train. Wash, rinse, repeat.

She had not eaten with him and he had not asked her to, something he regretted now as he was supposed to be slowly opening up to the others and she would have been a good start. On top of that, that grim and upset attitude she had held at the hospital disappeared. Whenever they had seen each other she had always flashed him a small smile in greeting before attending to her duties, most of the time that had been cooking. He hadn't said anything or greeted her in return but after she left, he realized how spoiled he had been.

The next few months went by with various people, mostly Hyuuga main house, coming through. They treated him as a 'branch' member of their house hold, doing little more than watching over him. They did not cook, did not clean, simply observed. All of them had limited his training routine, which had royally pissed him off. The ones that would cook for him – the females – were horrible, _horrible_ in comparison to their heiress; obviously not used to cooking but wanting to impress the 'cute bad boy'.

He had been so disgusted with their awful cuisine and their obvious fan girling that he hadn't even tried to get close to them as he had initially planned. Some of them had been close to his age, either younger or in their twenties. The males had remained stoic and aloof, the females had been all too eager to talk to him until he had wanted to snarl at them. It had been bad enough dealing with Karin's incessant, mindless chatter and she had been a horrible cook as well.

Ino was no better; she was just as horrible of a cook and was one of those people who talked simply to fill the silence. She had followed him everywhere, made sure she watched him train, which he had found slightly disturbing, and tried…to act like a housewife.

Apparently, she had it in her head that now that Sakura had decided to be with Naruto that she was now fully in the running. She also seemed to think that no one was going to beat her when it came to raw sex appeal and desirability, figuring it was only a matter of time before she would 'snag herself an Uchiha'. It was frustrating for him, even though he knew he should use this to his advantage he found himself growing more and more distant from Ino, more annoyed.

It got to the point where he just flat out ignored her and made it very clear through tone and action that he held no desire to even attempt to pursue anything close to a normal conversation between them. Like Naruto, this did not deter her. Then again, years hadn't deterred her, he doubted his cold and aloofness would do any better, she was used to that. It was only after she left that he had scolded himself for not trying harder and decided he would do so next time, if there was one.

Naruto did come to visit as promised and little happened. The Hokage would try to get 'buddy buddy' with him, offer sparring, something Sasuke wanted but refused because it would make Naruto happy, or just idly chatting about the old days. Any attempts on Sasuke's part to be snide, rude, or downright act like a bastard were pretty much ignored. Naruto never stayed long, either for a few minutes or a few hours, and he always left with promises that they'd all hang out one day like before. Neither male were stupid, that was impossible.

What Naruto wanted was for Sasuke to want to try and carve out a new life with them; even he understood things could not go back to the way they were. At first, Sasuke would snap something rude to the Hokage. After a few months, he allowed Naruto to see him brooding silently after he would say the words, as if thinking. He was implementing his plan in small ways, cutting down on the insults or forcing himself to look thoughtful, almost wistful, as Naruto recounted the 'good ol' days'. Although annoying, Sasuke was pleased with the way Naruto bought it, becoming more enthusiastic with every bone the Uchiha tossed.

Sakura, on the other hand, never showed. When he had asked Naruto about it he ended up learning that Sakura had withdrawn herself from the mission to deal with Sasuke. It had originally been a volunteer mission for those who would learn the seals and she had been number one on the list. Upon further probing he learned that Sakura had officially done it under the claim that her feelings could 'compromise the mission'. In reality, as far as Naruto was concerned, she was running away.

After their initial 'talk' Sakura had become somewhat depressed and in a small state of shock. Naruto believed it was a mixture of the fact that Sakura did _indeed_ love Naruto and had been on the fence about it for some time, the shock of realizing what Naruto's true intentions had been and the fact that she hadn't acted the way he had expected her to. She couldn't blame Naruto for thinking she would had healed Sasuke first, even if the fact that he had felt that way hurt her feelings now. The fact that she loved Naruto made the guilt that he would think that way about her heavier.

At least, that's what Naruto thought. It was a fair assumption and Sasuke realized that the idiot wasn't so dumb anymore for such a sharp observation. He did assure Sasuke that their relationship was fine, however, stating that after the initial beating – to which Naruto sent him a glare and Sasuke pointedly ignored – they had talked it out a bit and had settled the issue. Naruto told him that Sakura would just need time to sort out all of her feelings.

"S'hard to just move on from someone you loved all your life y'know?" he had said, Sasuke's response being a shrug. He didn't know. He had never been in love and didn't want to be. If love turned one into someone like Naruto or Sakura he wanted nothing to do with it. Pining after someone even though it was obvious they didn't want you- it was disgusting.

In another six months the reports done on him would be evaluated and they would determine whether or not the constant watch was necessary. They had not told him what would happen after the next year, they probably didn't even know themselves. He couldn't say he enjoyed this setup; it was almost as bad as the hospital. The only thing that kept him from dying of boredom was training, but even then the darker thoughts of his situation would creep up and hit him hard.

In reality, he really didn't hold a goal or a real purpose. During the darker hours, he realized just how fruitless trying to escape would be, leaving him with the question of 'What do I do now?' and no forthcoming answer. He merely existed, going day to day in an endless routine, lost in his thoughts. He had to force himself out of those darker feelings, knowing that giving in would eventually lead to insanity. Escape _had_ to be his goal; he had to move forward in some sort of fashion, even if pointless. The alternative, staying and trying to carve out a future here, was unacceptable. '_One step at a time_,' he would tell himself over and over.

By the time the Hyuuga heir returned for her week, winter was already upon them; in fact it was getting close to the new year. The outside of his 'house' had been decorated with all sorts of lights and festive greenery. The younger females had banded together and had gotten him some sort of tree which now rested in the back corner of his living room, cutely decorated with a shuriken at the top for the head piece. He had never been much of a holiday person and so pointedly ignored it, going about as if everything were normal. It had snowed and stuck a few days ago, brightening the area with its soft, pale glow. Sasuke still trained, however, much to his prior caretaker's dismay. By the time the Hyuuga arrived he had just dressed and dried his hair from a bath and the other Hyuuga female was in the living room, chatting with the heir.

This time Hinata was wearing her jacket and pants, a soft smile on her face as she listened to the other woman complain.

"..And he won't even bundle up! Please Hinata-sama, don't let him go _another_ week training out there in the cold like this."

Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the exchange. Hinata's arms rose in a sort of pacifying gesture and she laughed nervously. Sasuke's dark gaze went to the bags sitting down on either side of her, boasting food. Gods bless her, she had brought real food. He had never come to appreciate real food until now, where the simple things in life were starting to mean more and more the less and less meaning was involved in his life.

"Harumi-san," she began "I'll do my best but Uchiha-san is…"

The older girl grasped Hinata's hands, startling her. Harumi's face held a sharp blush on her pale skin – were all Hyuuga pale? – and she bit her lip. "Please, Hinata-sama. Sasuke-kun is my…"

That was enough. He stepped forward, arms still crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed. "It's you again," he remarked to his new babysitter and without another word he bent down and grabbed one of the large brown bags full of food. She protested lightly and even reached out to him before jerking her hand back as if stunned by her own forwardness. He would have grabbed the other bag as well but that would have required him to move around or reach around Hinata and he didn't want to do that with the other female around.

"Ah, um, Uchiha-san," he heard Hyuuga chime "I could have done that…"

"Onigiri." he cut in, walking towards the kitchen with his burden. "And I want shrimp. Preferably tempura style."

Harumi and Hinata spoke for a few more seconds in hushed tones before the older Hyuuga did a proper turnover and left, going 'Don't forget!' and whispered something else he didn't catch before she hurried off into the cold. He was putting groceries away when he heard the soft pad of Hinata's feet near him. The crinkle of the other bag settled as she placed it on the counter.

"Uchiha-san-"

"Sasuke," he corrected. He had already begun his slow manipulation with Naruto and this girl, who was in love with the Hokage. She held obvious compassion and kindness, which would help his case even more if he played nice with her. It helped that he actually could tolerate her presence and wasn't actually a burden or an annoyance.

"S-Sasuke-san," she corrected herself. Standing straight, he regarded the small girl, raising an eyebrow at her. He watched as her face actually crinkled in slight disgust "Do…you really want shrimp?" she sounded slightly horrified at the idea.

Sasuke was a little speechless at first. Her tone had been so severe he had thought she was going to say something earth shattering for a moment, only to realize that she seemed to simply have a dislike for shrimp. He almost laughed.

"Yes," he forced his tone and face to remain neutral "What's wrong with shrimp?"

"Nothing, I guess," she ducked her head then, continuing to fill the kitchen with appropriate food stuffs. He stepped back and out of the way, content with watching her for now. She did a good job of ignoring his stare with only a hint of flush on her cheeks at the scrutiny. There was a smooth grace to her movements he didn't remember from the past; sure and steady, not jerky and hesitant.

Growing her hair out had been good for her, the short style had made her look tomboyish, this style made her look undeniably feminine. She hadn't grown much, he was taller than her by a few inches, but she _looked_ very much like a woman in body, even if her face still held that slight childish roundness to it. He briefly wondered how deceptive that delicate frame really was.

The brief thought became more focused as he considered the prospects. He wouldn't be able to spar Neji, who he had heard was now a jounin, Hinata would be a close if not approximate match. Of course he would be at a handicap without the Sharingan but he was pretty sure he could handle this little wisp of a girl. She couldn't have grown far enough to be any real challenge to him, surely.

The thought of having someone to spar with was enticing, especially against a Hyuuga. There were the others, obviously, but he got the impression that Neji or Hinata would be the better challenge. Besides that, the other Hyuuga didn't really want him training, not really, so getting them to spar with him would be difficult. He refused to spar with Naruto. He wanted to save that moment as a turning point, hoping that Naruto would see it as Sasuke finally opening up. He couldn't spoil it by doing it too soon, others would become suspicious and that would influence Naruto when Sasuke wasn't around, which was basically all the time. Nothing wrong with sparring with the Hyuuga was there?

"Eat dinner with me tonight," he offered, unable to help the small twitch at the corners of his mouth when she spun to face him. Those pearl-like eyes widened to saucers, her pale face flushed with heat and her mouth dropped slightly in surprise. Her actions were so amusing at times; it was so easy to get a reaction out of her concerning the most simple of things.

"I promise I won't try to kill you," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice "I'm just getting bored of sitting by myself. Six months of being alone but not alone can drive anyone to want some company. You're also the only female that won't try to convince me that I should be their dessert."

To his slight annoyance, he found himself liking the sound of her laughter. It wasn't shrill or faked; it was soft and gentle, just like the rest of her. He shoved the annoyance aside, that wouldn't help him get what he wanted.

Even her eyes warmed when she laughed and then quieted to a small giggle and a smile. "Okay, but only if you promise not to train in the cold like you've been," came the counter "Harumi-san is concerned for your health."

Like he gave a damn about Harumi. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he decided to make things interesting "I don't want to stop training so how about we make a deal?" when she blinked up at him curiously he continued "We spar tomorrow morning. If I win, you let me continue my training and don't tell anyone about it. If you win, I'll stop training for the rest of the winter, but you have to stay until spring and keep me entertained. If I can't train, I have to do something or I'll go crazy just sitting here."

_That_ got an interesting reaction out of her. The Hyuuga didn't splutter or go into a fit but she did look a bit panicked and wary. "Until…spring?" she echoed.

"So you can just ignore me and let me train and you be done with me for the week or-"

"Okay," she cut in "I agree."

Oh, this was perfect. Not only would he be able to test the skills of the Hyuuga, he'd now have the best caretaker until spring. No more annoying males cutting into his training time; no more horrible cooking from the fangirl brigade. His mood was considerably brighter after that and he retired to his room to allow her to cook in privacy.

The morning had found him outside. The snow was starting to melt although it was still cold, which was fine with him. He didn't care about fighting in snow but it was harsh on his eyes with the sun out and shining reflectively. A side effect from overuse of the Sharingan, but a tolerable one for the most part.

He had only waited a total of five minutes, surprising since they had not set an actual hour. Sasuke could only assume she had used the Byakugan to see when he had awakened and gotten ready. Her face was blank as she closed the door to the backyard/training area behind her. Once again she was wearing her trademark jacket and dark pants, her almost-white gaze settling quickly on him. As she slipped on her shoes and joined him he laid out the rules.

"Taijutsu only, we'll make it as fair as possible," he began. His Sharingan was sealed away but not his chakra, if he used ninjutsu he'd crush her. Taijutsu, while it was no longer a heavy specialty of his, was still something he was fairly good at. More than enough to deal with her anyway. "You can use the Byakugan on me and come at me with all you've got. In fact, I insist."

"Um, but if you're only going to use taijutsu…"

Sasuke snorted "Don't worry, it's fair. I really don't think you'd have a chance otherwise. Taijutsu will be fine against you; it's just for fun anyway."

She didn't even look offended, just thoughtful. "Oh, okay," was the simple response. "If you insist…"

Smirking, Sasuke merely went into a defensive stance as a response. Sure, the girl had probably gotten good over the years, but there was no way she'd be able to hold a candle to him and he'd have a few months of peace and slight pampering. On top of that, he would use it to his advantage, let the Hyuuga girl think she was getting somewhere with him, report it to Naruto who would take it as a good sign of improvement. All part of the plan.

Since he had never actually seen the Byakugan before, he watched with interest as she moved into a strange stance. Juuken stance he assumed, as she held her palms out in a strange manner, his eyes widening slightly as what seemed like veins quickly emerged near her temples. Chakra filled, he guessed, the veins stretched from her temple to surround her eyes which, if possible, became even paler. So that was the Byakugan, eh? He had seen some other shinobi with that ability at the Kage gathering briefly but hadn't really been giving it much attention. Now he knew what it was.

Now, while Sasuke had been fairly confident that he could easily take her, he had not been prepared for the speed in which she had launched herself at him. Of course, he was _much_ faster and didn't even need the Sharingan to follow her movements; he had just been slightly taken aback. He dodged easily but paid for his second of hesitation when her fingers lightly brushed past his forearm. The sensation was akin to being stabbed with a very thin but long needle and he jumped back and away from her, his other hand moving to rub at where she had only brushed at. His forearm felt numb and where he couldn't really feel the cold much before he felt it completely now.

He got over his initial shock quickly, moving defensively as Hinata charged at him again. Dodging her blows was difficult and tricky the closer she was to him; he was faster but she didn't exactly _have_ to touch him for her chakra to have an effect on his. She could project it, he learned, and as long as her fingers or palm was close enough to almost brush by she could shove her chakra into his points, effectively cutting off chakra flow to an extremity. He also quickly learned that he had obviously not trained in taijutsu enough over the years, for they were almost an even match. With him not using ninjutsu and her using her full out abilities against him, he was having more of a difficult time than expected.

Her intelligence was also nothing to be fooled around with. Because she realized she wasn't as fast as he was, she compensated by feinting and pretending to allow him to gain the upper hand before striking. When that stopped working she switched tactics, becoming more aggressive and unpredictable with her movements. Her strikes were always precise and she wasted little moves, coming at him with almost full strength in an attempt to finish the 'game' quickly. More than likely she wasn't good with prolonged battles or she was taking it seriously enough to understand that if he did get serious she'd be horribly outmatched.

The entire situation had him heavily intrigued. He'd seen Sakura fight and the two females were almost completely different when it came to taijutsu. They both had outstanding chakra control, they simply used it differently. Hinata was a little slower than Sakura and definitely had none of her strength, but she didn't _need_ strength, she just needed to get in close enough to incapacitate you. He was sure that Sakura was the better fighter, but Hinata's taijutsu was more solid in form and fluidity. He couldn't help it, with his entire left arm now completely out of commission and his breathing actually a bit labored; his respect for the Hyuuga grew a little bit. Curiosity won over him and he wanted to see how much of this style he could incorporate into his own and improve on, despite her bloodline limit…

And was rewarded with intense, agonizing pain. Using the Sharingan was second nature to him when fighting an opponent, he had learned so much from observing people this way, had been able to improve on his own skills. As he had been spending the past six months training alone he hadn't really thought to use the Sharingan and had all but forgotten about the damn curse seal on his forehead. He cried out in pain, his hands delving into his hair, gripping painfully. The outside world became a distant existence over the sensation of thousands of burning needles jabbing into every part of his brain, stabbing, searing, unbearable pain.

"-suke-san!"

The Uchiha recognized the girl's voice but only faintly. When she called out his name again it was a bit louder and he found himself becoming quickly aware of things around him. He could feel the cold, could feel a gentle pressure near his temples, felt a cold wetness on his knees and shins. Vision returned to him, his dark gaze shifting to his right. Hinata was kneeling beside him, her hands resting lightly on his temples, a soft green glow coming from her hands. He could feel the healing waves of her chakra moving through his mind, soothing where there had been burning pain. His hands dropped to his sides lifelessly and he found himself lightly shaking. Breathing ragged, his gaze met hers. There was nothing but concern and understanding there.

"Neji-niisan…" she began as a way of explaining "He um, sometimes members of the family would…" his eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze down, guilt and pain flashing in those unique eyes of hers.

She didn't have to explain. He knew the history of the Hyuuga, he knew people tended to abuse their powers. Obviously, she was used to dealing with helping her cousin from wayward main house members and was now using those skills for him.

Instead of feeling grateful, impotence, frustration, and anger consumed him. He had become complacent, almost allowed himself to forget for just a second that he was a prisoner here. The desire to form ties dissolved with his frustration at his situation and he slapped her hands away, snarling a 'Don't touch me!' at her. He got up to his feet too quickly and staggered. When she tried to help him he physically pushed her away. It wasn't even her he was angry with, it was all inward. Yes, it was good to have plans, great to have a goal, but that cursed seal was a horrible reminder of his situation and the futility of his efforts. Hatred for the people who had done this to him burned hot and tight in his chest with every painful throb of his head. If the Hyuuga followed him he didn't know, didn't bother to look.

"Forget the damn bet," he did finally say as he slid the door open to the house "You won, I won't do any more training until spring." Using the walls as support, which only further pissed him off, he stumbled his way into his room and slid the door shut forcefully behind him.

Sometime after Sasuke had entered his room he realized he must had fallen asleep, for he opened his eyes and found himself lying on his futon. There was a scent in the air that he wasn't familiar with but felt soothing. Something herbal, he determined. His head still pounded painfully but it wasn't as devastating as earlier, where he felt as if even moving would cause his brain to explode. Sitting up, he turned his head and found the source of the strange smell sitting in a small little teapot on a tray. The tray was sitting on the ground within his reach, the little cast iron pot still puttering out steam, indicating that it was still hot. Only one teacup rested there, along with a little piece of paper which he picked up first and read.

_Sasuke-san,_

_This is a tea I usually blend for Neji-niisan and others for things like this. It'll help so please drink it. It's a bit bitter, I'm sorry._

It ended with her name in neat script. His mind was blissfully blank for a moment as he regarded the pot of tea and the cup. Honestly, he didn't _want_ to think about Hinata's kindness and her accepting nature of the situation. Anyone else would have probably suspected that he had tried to do something sneaky; she had regarded the situation as an accident, which had had been. He had slipped up and used the Sharingan and that alone should have sent out alarm bells in her mind, yet here he was, looking at a pot of tea to help his damn headache. She had even apologized for the tea being bitter.

He didn't get this girl at all. She didn't strike him as stupid or naïve but she held a strange kindness towards him despite the fact that he had almost killed the person she loved. Did she not hold a hateful bone in her body? She should really resent and hate him yet she was treating him…

Dismissing the thought before he became angry once again, he poured himself a cup and downed it. Unlike most people, Sasuke didn't mind bitter tasting things and was glad she hadn't tried to sweeten the concoction; he'd always held a dislike for sweets or anything sweetened. There was only enough tea for two and a half cups, which he readily ingested and his headache did gradually lessen to a dull throb that he could finally tolerate.

Now that he was calmer and thinking more rationally, he realized he would have to go and apologize. In his anger and frustration with his situation he had lashed out at her and forgotten his plan; no, had wanted to discard it. He had to remind himself why he was doing this again, why it was important and why, no matter what, he _had_ to eventually get away from this place. If anything, the events that happened today should have made that more clear, not less. Picking up the tray he went through things he could say or do to make up for his near violence earlier and almost exposed himself to someone unseen. He could only blame it on earlier events making him sluggish and unaware as he realized that he and Hinata were not alone.

Once again he found himself paused in the hallway, grateful that he could see out but they couldn't see him from his angle. Hinata was standing at the door with three small colored boxes in her arms, a warm smile on her face as she regarded a tall, brown haired male. Wait, he knew that face, it was that Inuzuka. He was clad in a leather jacket and pants, his hands shoved in his pockets as his animal-like eyes looked down on the fragile-looking Hyuuga with affection. He smiled a fanged smile at Hinata and she giggled, raising a hand to her mouth, giving her that feminine look again.

"Yeah, so Shino went ahead to the meeting," the dog-boy continued "But we wanted to make sure ya got yer presents before we headed out. He'll fill me in before we head out."

There was something unguarded about Hinata that struck Sasuke as something of a strange revelation. He had taken her as being an open if not shy person. Watching her now with Kiba, he realized that Hinata was way more guarded with herself than he had originally believed. Everything about Hinata screamed 'relaxed and content' around this male, from her unabashed laughter and cheerful gaze to her posture.

Even around Naruto, well, especially around Naruto, there wasn't that feeling of comfort. There was, now that he thought about it, a polite but obvious distance she put between herself and others. This simply did not exist when she was around Kiba and he could only assume this applied to her other teammate as well. He found that rather mysterious and intriguing.

His intrigue with her seemed to be increasing at alarming rates, he realized. Apparently being cooped up for six months had made him extremely bored if he felt like this. The Hyuuga's life really shouldn't be _that_ interesting to him.

"It's okay, I understand," Sasuke watched as she clutched the presents tighter to her chest, as if they were the most precious things in the world to her. They probably were. "Please tell Shino-kun and Kurenai-sensei I said thank you."

Kiba chucked at her and lifted a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately "'Course. Kurenai says come visit her when your week is up. The kid's already got her head moving around. So yeah. Happy birthday Hinata."

Surprise and regret filled her pale features "Oh really? I wish I could see her, I'm sure Asuma-sensei would…" they both stiffened at the name Sasuke found only vaguely familiar, looking at each other with some sort of expression he didn't fully understand. Then Kiba did that Naruto-like thing of scratching his head in nervousness.

"Yeah. Well, I know it ain't much of a birthday but try to enjoy what'cha got ok?" the dog-boy ruffled Hinata's hair again and gave her another fanged-toothed smile. "Oh and Uchiha? You can come out now. I can smell ya from here."

Sasuke felt rather stupid walking out with the tray in his hands and was a little grateful when Hinata made a little gasp and closed the distance between them, grabbing the tray with one hand and holding her presents with the other. Kiba scowled at this, Sasuke ignored it.

"They should have left you dead," Kiba snapped at Sasuke, that grin he had flashed at Hinata replaced with obvious disdain as he regarded him.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata sounded horrified.

Kiba ignored her "Holdin' you here is nothing but a pain in the ass for everyone involved;" he pretended to dig something out of his ear with his pinky "Naruto's an idiot for bringin' you back here."

Sasuke agreed with this assessment, but he wasn't going to let Kiba know that. Raising an arm he leaned against the wall and smirked at the Inuzuka.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't _want_ to be here. Release the seals on me and I'll be on my way."

Kiba's answer was to snort at him and find the conversation over with. He turned to leave but regarded Hinata one last time. "Just…be careful," his gaze shifted back to Sasuke, eyes narrowing. The Uchiha responded by smirking a little wider. "Don't let this bastard get too close to you. He'll probably stab ya the moment your back is turned."

Irritation flickered in Sasuke's eyes and he openly glared at the dog-boy as he left, once again wishing he had Amaterasu at his disposal. He could only hope Kiba would be one of the people to get in his way when he finally escaped from this hole.

Movement had him turning his gaze to Hinata. She still held the presents in her arms, her gaze shifting between looking up at him and looking down at the ground. He could sense that polite distance from her again, so obvious now that he had seen that exchange with her and the idiot dog-lover.

"Sasuke-san, about Kiba-kun…"

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday," he cut her off, not wanting to talk about it.

Confusion crossed her face and her eyes flickered to his face, delicate eyebrows shifting down. "Um, forgive me for being so forward but…would it have mattered?"

No. Maybe. It shouldn't have. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Hn."

Awkward silence. They stood there, Hinata looking at her feet and clutching the presents as if they were some sort of shield. He could not blame her, he had lashed out at her earlier, the little bit of progress that he had made with her was probably shot. The realization that he only had himself to blame was slightly frustrating. On the other hand, the fact that she had made him the tea and had even made an attempt to apologize for her teammate's behavior showed that it was only a minor setback. He could fix this.

"In any case, don't worry about dinner. I'll make it myself," he waved his hand at her "Go enjoy your presents," he ignored her shocked expression as he began to walk towards the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I _can_ cook, you know." a small pause "Do you…want anything?"

"Um," her gaze shifted from him to her presents and back to him. "I-I don't want to inconvenience you…"

She had to be joking. "Look, I'm cooking. I'll make extras. If you want it, it'll be sitting here for you. If not, I'll eat it for tomorrow's lunch." That was really as nice as he was going to be about it.

Understanding flickered in those pale depths of hers and she smiled softly, "Okay," she said and without another word turned and headed for her room. The moment he heard her door slide open and then close he let out a soft sigh and put a frustrated hand through his hair.

He needed to reign in his emotions a little better otherwise this plan was going to fail completely.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

"_I find the answers aren't so clear  
Wish I could find a way to disappear  
All these thoughts they make no sense  
I find bliss in ignorance  
Nothing seems to go away  
Over and over again"_

_-'One Step Closer' by Linkin Park_

xxxxx

The Hyuuga heiress departed at the end of the week, her turnover being a jounin male he didn't know and who did or said little towards the Uchiha. Sasuke had preferred it that way to be honest; he was still in a foul mood with the girl's departure. True to his word he had stopped training outside in the cold and spent his days indoors…brooding.

Sasuke was sure that he was losing sight of his goals already, which was sad because he had only been in this house for a total of six months. What happened to all of his prior determination and drive? He had never forgotten his goals or desires when he had been seeking revenge. Was it because, deep down he knew that it was all pointless? With the cursed seal on his forehead he could never, ever be free. No matter how he wanted to defy it, that was an absolute truth. Perhaps he could pursue revenge on the people who had placed the seal on his forehead, try to hate Naruto for not properly killing him. If he tried hard enough he could grasp on something, anything, and use that as an excuse. Perhaps then someone would finally put him out of his misery.

The only problem with that was one simple fact: Sasuke was _tired_. He had welcomed death in the past, had finished his duties, had avenged his clan properly. Naruto was supposed to have killed him, he had _wanted_ to die. Now he was just tired, tired of fighting, tired of hating, tired of everything. He had completed his mission, he was done. He had wanted it to be over; he had wanted to join Itachi and the rest of his dead clan.

It was hard trying to gather the strength needed to want to die again. It was hard to jump back on a path when you had finally told yourself it was _over_. He didn't want to die anymore, but he didn't want to be a part of Konoha either. Because of all of this Sasuke's desires, goals, and attempts to accomplish those things shifted and warped. One day he'd want to continue his plan, the next day he just wanted to be left the hell alone and not give a damn about anyone. Even though he had told himself that he should try and fix the situation with the Hyuuga he had ended up going back into the same routine of ignoring her, minus his training routine. Once again, he had cursed himself only after Hinata had left, same as he had with Ino.

Brooding had done little for his mood and he had _no one_ to lash out at. So towards the middle of the week after Hinata had left, Sasuke had found himself grinning almost sinisterly as he sensed a massive burst of chakra erupt near his little home. He didn't even _care_ who it was at this point, he just knew that they were angry and he was in a mood to fight. Verbally, physically, it didn't matter. Getting up, he crossed his arms and put on his best sneer. As he emerged from the hallway he spotted the intruder as they entered his home. The sneer disappeared, however, when he realized the face was very familiar.

The chakra belonged to none other than Hyuuga Neji, and he was definitely in a foul mood. The moment Sasuke rounded the corner pale grey eyes snapped over to him and narrowed. The jounin who was 'babysitting' him had also arrived at this point, eyes wide in surprise.

"Neji…" the man began, but the Hyuuga cut him off.

"Don't worry," Neji began, his gaze never leaving Sasuke's. "I am only here to talk to the Uchiha for a moment. I hope you don't mind if I ask you to excuse us for a few minutes."

Relaxing, the jounin shrugged. "Sure. Just…don't try and kill him okay? Hokage-sama's orders."

The brown haired man did not answer and eventually the jounin left the room.

The Hyuuga cut straight to the point, his posture defensive as he tilted his head and regarded Sasuke "What did you do to Hinata-sama?" he all but demanded.

Well, that hadn't been what Sasuke had been expecting, to say the least. His battle lust receded as his eyebrow rose in slight confusion. He couldn't recall doing anything to Hinata, even in the spar they had went through he hadn't actually touched her. He found himself wanting to be angry but could only be curious. Regardless, he had a part to play.

"I've been considered guilty of a lot of things, Hyuuga," Sasuke muttered, his own eyes narrowing "You'll have to be more specific."

"Oh?" Neji's face was obviously a tad mocking as he fully faced Sasuke, crossing his arms in a manner similar to his own. "Hinata-sama went _directly_ to the Hokage and asked him if her time with you could be extended until the spring. It was granted." '_Explain that_,' was clearly implied in Neji's tone.

The surprise on Sasuke's face was obvious. So obvious in fact that when he blinked, he saw Neji's expression tense and then shift into a sigh. He shook his head. Sasuke had heard Neji's powers of observation when it came to people were exceptional. Obviously, there was merit to them.

"You truly do not know." It was more of a statement to himself than to the Uchiha prisoner. Neji turned his gaze from Sasuke finally, his voice lowering to a mutter. "What is Hinata-sama thinking? Doesn't she understand…?"

Both men turned as the front door slid open and the subject of the conversation slowly walked into the house. There was a slight hitch in breath as Sasuke saw her again; he hadn't been expecting to see her for a very long time and taking in her gaze now…

_What are you doing? Don't even _allow_ your thoughts to go that route. You're acting like an idiot._

The Hyuuga female set down her rather large overnight bag down on the ground, a slight frown crossing her delicate features as she took in the presence of her cousin. Before she could even open her mouth Neji was there, grabbing a hold of her arm with a muttered "We need to talk Hinata-sama," before casting a glare that was wavering in its suspicion in his direction.

Neji could believe what he wanted, Sasuke had no idea what was going on. Based on what he could gather, Hinata would now be staying in the house with him until the spring, which absolutely floored him. It couldn't have been to honor the deal, she had won, he had admitted to defeat. The way Neji implied there was the possibility that even though Naruto had approved it the idea hadn't gone over well with the others.

"Please don't grip my arm like that," came the soft soprano that was Hinata. She actually managed to pull away from Neji before he pulled her too far. In fact, they were still standing in his living room. "Y-you didn't have to come here…"

"Why did you request to stay with him until the spring?" Neji cut in. "Have you forgotten who this person is? All that he's tried to do? Hinata-sama, you are a kind and forgiving person, I understand this more than anyone, but he is-"

"Standing within earshot." Sasuke snarled, not enjoying being ignored. What pissed him off was that Neji held very valid points and to that effect he didn't want those being the driving force of Hinata changing her mind.

The fact that he didn't want her to change her mind also angered him for reasons he refused to contemplate for the moment. Was she doing this out of pity? If so, regardless of the fact that he was…pleased to see his cook back – which was as far as he was going to allow his thoughts to go – he would tell her to go. He didn't need sympathy or pity, his mistakes had been his own and he had definitely learned from it.

Hinata took a step back from Neji, her head lowering to gaze at her feet. She did this only for a moment before her head lifted to face her cousin. "I-I requested it of my own volition, I wasn't influenced with genjutsu or anything like that," when Neji opened his mouth she shook her head, stopping him. "I know what people are saying but it's not true. Naruto-kun had me examined to make sure. He has my report so…" she trailed off on purpose, her eyes shifting back to her feet. "Please Neji-niisan…"

There was a long moment of awkward silence as the Hyuuga male stared hard at the female, those sharp eyes of his looking over her face and expression for any sign of untruth. When he found none he sighed once more, shaking his head.

"It is difficult to continue to protect you, Hinata-sama, if you constantly put yourself in dangerous situations."

The girl flinched but stood her ground "Being a shinobi is dangerous in and of itself Neji-niisan." It was a subtle reminder and Neji decided to simply drop the matter.

"So be it Hinata-sama," he said calmly, although it was obvious he was anything but happy about the situation. "I only ask that you not allow yourself to be manipulated, through any means, by this man. You and the Hokage may believe that he can be redeemed, but you are very alone with your views and your safety comes before his if it comes down to it." Neji's steely gaze shifted to Sasuke but the Uchiha said nothing.

All of that previous boredom and rage was gone, shifting down as curiosity rose. _He_ wanted to know why Hinata was doing this; _he_ wanted to know what was going on in her head. When the Hyuuga male left Sasuke watched idly as Hinata walked into the room where the other jounin was. It was only after the male had left and Sasuke could sense no other chakra within the immediate vicinity that he moved forward, catching Hinata as she tried to move to get her bags. He cut her off by moving in her path, his eyes narrowing.

"Did you do this out of pity?" his voice was low and dark as he glared down at her, watching her every expression. Her pale eyes snapped to him, wide with surprise, and she opened her mouth to speak, her hands moving in time with her emotions.

"I-I…no! It…it wasn't like that at all…" she hastened to reassure, her hands rising as her index fingers began to poke at each other "I just...we had a deal."

"I had told you the deal was _off_."

"But…you had only said that because you were frustrated, not because you had lost. And um, in any case, the only reason you made the deal was because you knew you would win. You…you obviously want me around for some reason."

"What." he stared at this girl, his expression something along the lines of complete and utter shock and disbelief. "Then why did you agree if you knew?" he was so surprised he didn't even have the thought to deny her claims that he had _wanted_ her around.

"B-because I wanted to," she answered simply "I-I knew you would underestimate me and so I wanted to see how far my skills could go before you decided to get serious. Um, but we weren't able to get that far…but I knew that it wasn't your fault. I-I mean if I couldn't all of a sudden use my Byakugan after using it for so long I would probably be the same way and the Juuken…it relies on it so I'd be severely handicapped. When I told Naruto-kun of the deal you made with me he actually encouraged me to stay."

This girl…she was very observant. Too observant for comfort at times. She had never been convinced that she would win the bet, but a part of her had wanted to test her mettle against him anyway. Admirable and intriguing concepts for one who looked and seemed so frail and weak.

There was one issue and that was the fact that he didn't enjoy the fact that Naruto had influenced her to stay. A part of him had thought perhaps she had embraced and fought for the idea all on her own. With Naruto encouraging her, it felt more like he was the one being manipulated instead of vice versa. He didn't like that concept at all.

"So you think I'm redeemable? That's what he said right? You and Naruto think that."

There was a small silence. "Once upon a time, I was almost killed by my cousin," Hinata responded, causing Sasuke to stiffen in surprise. That Hyuuga had tried to kill her? It was a sharp contrast to just a moment ago. Suddenly, something Neji had said flickered through his mind.

"_Hinata-sama, you are a kind and forgiving person, I understand this more than anyone…"_ Ah, that's what he had meant.

"I forgave him," she continued, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. "But of course, I never felt that there had been anything to forgive. I had understood his anger…his hatred. He wanted revenge and I was the representation of all he wanted revenge on. A-as for being redeemed…I think…I think anyone who _wants_ to be redeemed can do so if they make the effort."

He slowly digested her words. While the horrible things that had happened in her life wasn't even a scratch on the surface to what he had been through; her life hadn't been like Sakura's or Ino's. He remembered how irritated he had been with Sakura initially when she had spoken so brazenly about how Naruto was so irresponsible because he had no parents nagging at him all the time. Back then it had shown him how completely shallow Sakura had been as a person, how childish.

Both Sakura and Ino had grown up in normal, loving households, they would never be able to truly or even lightly grasp onto his feelings. This girl, from what he knew of the Hyuuga's, had not grown up in a loving home, had faced the horrors of a clan horribly arrogant and prejudiced. She had watched as someone close to her, perhaps someone she considered a best friend at one point, go out of his way to murder her. Obviously he had either stopped or had been stopped by someone. During that time in the chuunin exams he had been dealing with his cursed seal and then there had been training with Kakashi, he hadn't had time for the rumors.

What would have happened if Neji had slaughtered everyone she had known, the entire clan? Would she have forgiven him then? Would she have sought the same path that he had? Would she had been able to kill her cousin, someone she obviously loved and cared for deeply? If things had turned out just a little differently, would she have chosen his path?

The fact that he was firmly convinced that the answer was 'no', made him feel angry. No, Hinata wouldn't have sought revenge, she would have done what Itachi had wanted _him_ to do, live out his life in peace, try to move on. It would have been painful for her, but she would have done it.

Sasuke wanted to think her inferior, _weaker_ for it. The fact that he didn't, the fact that he only felt admiration for her was almost enough to enrage him. He refused to believe that she was _stronger_ than him for it, that, if she had been in his shoes she would have done everything differently. Refused to believe that she would have made Itachi proud. That she wouldn't have let Itachi die in vain, that the idiot hadn't had to die _at all_…

Before he realized it, he had Hinata's arm in a painful grip, pulling her close to him. He could feel small pricks and tingles inside his mind from the seal as he fought not to use the Sharingan. He ignored her soft cry, the way her eyes widened in surprise and with a bit of fear. No, he didn't ignore it, he embraced it, enjoyed how easy it would be to hurt her, to damage her. Break her, as she should be if their roles had been reversed. As he had been.

"What makes you think I _want_ to make an effort?" It was practically a snarl "What makes you think I'm like him?" he asked, referring to Neji "What makes you…"

The Uchiha stopped in his angry tirade, watching her expression carefully. She was frightened, that much was certain, but there was something else in her eyes. It wasn't hatred or anger, it was…

"Sasuke-san I…" she looked away from him "If…if you really…want me to leave I will. P-please just say the word, I will go. D-doing this won't force me to hate you or think horribly of you. Y-you wanted me here for a reason and I…I was okay with that."

And just like that he dropped her arm as if it had burned him. He stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. This girl…she was unreal. She wasn't at all physically imposing or threatening but there was this quiet strength about her, a soft determination that emerged only when she felt it was absolutely necessary. The way she looked at him, as if she had already opened him up and read him like a book; it unnerved him. Those eyes of hers, always soft, understanding, accepting. She looked at him as if to say 'It's okay, I know it's not me you're really mad at, so it's fine, I'll accept this'. This nature of hers, he was sure that was what had caused Neji to try to kill her before, it _had_ to be it. The way she could just observe and accept someone's flaws, no, the way she simply just _understood_ that person, understood and didn't judge.

Hyuuga Hinata was a frightening person. Itachi would have been proud.

Without saying another word, knowing that to do so meant that he was welcoming her to stay, he turned on his heel and stalked to his room. As he slid the door closed he leaned against it, dipping his head, his bangs shadowing his face. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides and he was shaking, _shaking._

"Damnit…damn _you_," he wasn't even sure who he was damning at this point; Hinata, Itachi, or himself.

xxxxx

That evening, to his surprise, Hinata came knocking softly on his door. In the times that Hinata had stayed in the house she had always cooked dinner and placed out food if he wanted it, eating by herself and retiring to her room for the night. He had smelled the food earlier as he merely brooded in his room, sometimes thinking, sometimes forcing his mind to become blank. He had meditated a lot that day, finding it easier to try and not to deal with his thoughts now that he had little outlet in which to handle them. He didn't want to think about what had happened earlier. He didn't want to think about _her_, how her eyes kept haunting him taunting him with something he knew but couldn't put properly in words. In all honesty, he was afraid of what those words would be.

Slowly the door to his room slid open and he caught Hinata's pale face peeking from the darkness of the hallway. Innocent eyes glanced into his room and there was a soft gasp as she realized that he was very much awake and _staring_ at her.

"M-may I come in?" she asked softly, almost a whisper.

"You've already opened the door," Sasuke drawled, rolling his eyes a bit. How he went from angry to wary to amused with her was a complete mystery to him. He leaned against the far wall of his room, his arm raised up on the windowsill, watching as her dainty form whispered inside quietly. She did have a tray in hand, a bento, something that he assumed was miso soup and…

"Are those sliced tomatoes?" he almost choked on the words. How did she know? Who told her?

Her pale face turned an interesting shade of red as she walked forward. When she was a respectful distance away she knelt down in front of him and put the tray between them. Sliced tomatoes. He couldn't believe she knew, she _had_ to know, one just didn't bring someone sliced tomatoes for shits and giggles.

"Um…the girls here…" she began in explanation "They…" she coughed a bit "…make it their business to know these things."

He should have known. Well, he wasn't going to complain. Much. "So? What about you then? Are you going to be another fangirl, hanging on my every word?"

As Hinata shook her head, her gaze a mixture of surprise and disbelief, he wondered why he set himself up for situations like this, where he knew if she answered he wouldn't like it. No, that wasn't true, he was glad that she wouldn't hang on his every word…it was just…

"N-no…I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"Hn," was the response.

He sat there in silence as he ate. Hinata didn't seem as if she was going to leave, yet he didn't really tell her to go away either. While the food was good, he barely registered it, so deep he was in his own thoughts. Sasuke would notice from time to time that Hinata would shift, as if she wanted to say something, think better of it, and then tense up. At first it was just something he noticed off to the side of his thoughts but as she continued to do it, it began to strike at his mind more and more.

Eventually he ended up watching her movements in slight amusement as he ate, wondering what in the world was she struggling to convey to him. A part of it was also his own childishness, wanting her to be uncomfortable, for whatever reason, in retaliation to what happened earlier that day. Finally, when he felt as if she'd 'suffered' enough, he opened his mouth.

"What is it, Hyuuga?" he asked "You look as if you're about to explode."

The Uchiha gave her his full attention, his expression a mask of boredom. She jumped just a bit and looked up at him with wide eyes before she looked down pointedly at her lap. Hinata did this a few more times before she finally rested her gaze on his.

"I um…" she began "I was wondering if…you wanted to go out tomorrow."

He was positive he heard that wrong. "What?"

The flatness of his tone made Hinata raise her arms in a pacifying gesture "I mean…you've been here for over six months…and you haven't left at all. I…was thinking that um, maybe you wouldn't mind c-coming with me when I go shopping. For food, I mean. You know, just to get out. I-I mean…you probably have cabin fever so…"

"Outside." It was soft, thoughtful. He was suffering from cabin fever; he'd never been confined like this in his life. Unable to do much besides think, he couldn't even train. It had been driving him a little crazy. Even if he hated this village with every part of his soul, the temptation of leaving this house and walking around somewhere, anywhere, was appealing.

"O-only if you want to…" she continued, shifting nervously. Numbly, he watched as Hinata's index fingers began to press against each other and her gaze went back to her lap as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"What's the catch?" Sasuke's question came out without even having thought about it. Of course, now that he was coming down from his initial shock the question was a valid one. Yes, he'd admit that he thought Hinata was a kind person, but no one could expect him to believe that something this significant to him wouldn't come with some sort of catch or deal. Trust wasn't something that came easily to him, no matter how nice one was.

He almost grinned when her expression turned even more disturbed, even though a part of him was disappointed to be proven right. Instead he continued to maintain his bored expression, as if what she was offering him was nothing he really cared about one way or another.

"Ino-chan wants to see you." There went that finger thing she did again. Such a strange girl. "S-so would it be okay to visit her?"

"Wait. That's it?" His tone sounded incredulous. "You just want me to go visit Ino." At her small nod he shook his head, chuckling softly to himself. When she gave him a curious look he waved her off with a hand. "Whatever. Fine. If I gets me out of here for a few hours, I don't care."

Her face lit up which seemed to bring color to her normally pale skin. Sasuke ignored it, instead he thought about how he could use this to his advantage. If he 'behaved', not only would Hinata say something positive to the Hokage, but Ino would as well. This was important, the more people he had on his side the better. They didn't have to directly help him escape, they just had to tell Naruto all sorts of good and lovely things so that he'd eventually let his guard down. Also, the more people he got to support him verbally, the less the negative influences would be. Yes, this was perfect. This would make up for all of the prior mistakes he had made because of his temper.

"Is ten in the morning good for you?" her voice brought him out of his thoughts "Or do you want to leave a little later?"

"Ten is fine." Finishing the last bit of his meal, he pushed the tray to her. Tray in hand she gracefully stood, flashed him one of her small smiles and gave him a 'goodnight' as she closed his door.

The moment the door closed a long slow smile spread over his face. _One thing at a time…_

xxxxx

Sasuke didn't remember there being so many people out at this time when he used to live here. He trailed behind Hinata as he scanned his surroundings. Some people gasped and whispered. Some gave him hard glares. Most remained indifferent as the two young nin moved through the crowds in the shopping district.

Suddenly he wondered why he ever agreed to go outside. He _hated_ crowds. The fact that he was in a crowd in Konoha only added to his deep irritation. To his credit, he was mostly noncommittal, stopping when Hinata stopped, moving when she moved. They hadn't said much to each other the entire morning but he realized that the silence hadn't been strained or uncomfortable. At least, _she_ no longer seemed to be highly uncomfortable around him. Definite improvement.

_Not that she had ended up with any problems addressing you in the beginning._

He had forgotten about that. Their little spat where she had spewed her self-righteous drivel in her own attempt to 'tell the Uchiha off'. Sasuke hadn't realized he was scowling until the sensation of being watched had him looking down at the Hyuuga heir. Her large eyes showed nothing but slight concern.

"Are you alright Sasuke-san?"

"Hn," he forced his face to look more neutral. He remembered how pissed off he had been then, mostly because Tsunade had already put him in a foul mood earlier, but somehow the Hyuuga had made him angrier that day. How could he have forgotten something like that?

_That doesn't matter. Focus on your plan, no matter how you feel._

"Um, we're here," she was standing at the doorway leading into the Yamanaka flower shop. Even though he had just told himself a moment ago to focus he brushed past her anyway, irritated.

"Let's just get this over with."

The two were immediately greeted by a cheerful voice. Hinata brightened, Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and pretended to find one of the walls fascinating.

"Hinata-chan! Sasuke-kun!" Ino quickly made her way over to the two and whispered a small 'Thanks Hina' before turning to Sasuke.

He still wasn't looking at her, but he knew she was going to talk anyway. "Are you enjoying being outside for a while? I'm sure being cooped up in that stuffy place was hell. _I_ hated it by the time I left."

Sasuke shrugged. Indifference was fine, it wasn't outright hostility and that would be seen as an improvement.

"So," she continued, preventing awkward silence "Now that you can wander about with an escort, what do you plan on doing for the spring festival?"

He did turn his blank gaze to her then and blinked once. Ino's smile widened as she accurately took that expression as confusion.

"Didn't Hinata-chan tell you? Well anyway, I can't really go see you unless I'm guarding you and I wanted to make sure I talked to you about this before it was too late."

"What are you talking about?" At his verbal confirmation towards his confusion he looked over at Hinata who was conveniently engrossed in an assortment of lilacs. Huh. The Hyuuga had left out the part that Ino _wanted_ something from him which was why they had come. In all honesty, he should have seen this coming – this was Ino – but he hadn't expected sneakiness from his pale eyed caretaker.

_She probably thought I would have said 'No' if she had told me the entire truth._

She would have been right.

"Well, you remember how there's the spring and summer festivals here?" When he just continued to stare at her blankly she continued "Well, the spring festival is coming up and I'd like you to be my date. Of course, Hinata-chan will have to come along but I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to possibly get closer."

Ino and Sakura could have been sisters, they way they were so bold about things. There was an arrogance to Ino that Sakura didn't have, but beyond that there was little difference between them.

Instead of answering her, he turned to Hinata. "Hyuuga. I'm assuming you agreed to do this if I said 'yes' correct?"

Her shoulders stiffened and then she turned to face him, looking guilty, head down. "Um, y-yes…" her eyes peeked out from under her bangs and she gave him an apologetic look. He took Ino's bold and brazen personality and Hinata's quiet and somewhat meek one and figured that the Yamanaka probably 'talked' her into it.

He weighed his options. It had only been six months, if he said 'yes' right away it might be seen as him trying to do something funny. However, he also had the fact that he _had_ been cooped up; any excuse to get out of the house would be a good one. Sasuke figured Naruto would probably pick the latter option to believe.

The Uchiha crossed his arms, turned his head to look at the far wall and then sighed, as if it were all such a huge inconvenience to him. "Fine, whatever. If it'll get me out of that box I'll do it."

The Yamanaka grabbed his hand in excitement, looking up into his expressionless eyes. "You'll have a great time, I promise."

He sincerely doubted that. Instead of responding he turned to Hinata, allowing him to slip from Ino's grip. "Hyuuga? If there's nothing else, we should get the food and be going."

"Oh," she said rather lamely before blinking "Oh, the food. I'm sorry to cut the visit so short Ino-san…"

"It's okay!" _'I got what I wanted'_ was clearly implied.

She was seriously trying to get him to date her. Sasuke couldn't understand or fathom any of Ino's reasoning for why. As they walked out of the shop he had to fight the urge to shake his head. Maybe he…could use the Yamanaka? Given time, if he could get her to really fall for him... Perhaps he had been too hasty to dismiss her as a candidate.

"Um, I'm sorry about that, Sasuke-san." Once again Hinata's voice cut through his thoughts. Glancing down at her, he tried to figure out what she was sorry for. Oh, right.

"You thought I would have said no if you had told me the truth."

"I-Ino-san really likes you so…"

"Ino doesn't know anything _about_ me."

That came out harsher than intended. "Look, forget it. I'm sure she almost literally pulled your arm to do it, and I'm not actually angry. Let's get the food and go."

Pale eyes lingered on him for a moment longer. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, thought better of it and nodded, leading the way. Sasuke watched her for a moment and then looked up at a building. Just then, while she had been talking…

_Forget it for now. It's probably not important anyway._

Mentally shrugging the sensation of being watched off, he picked up his pace to catch up with Hinata.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Finished chapter 10 early, so here you guys go.

xxxxx

5

xxxxx

"Greetings Hinata-san! How are you doing this fine morning? Is Sasuke-san awake yet?"

What the hell? Dark eyes opened, it was still mostly dark in his room, the faint signs of the upcoming rising sun indication that it was close to early morning. Sasuke looked at his clock. Four thirty in the morning. Who the fuck…?

"Ah! That is all right then, I will wait for a while longer if that is okay with you?"

Why was this guy so loud? What did he want from him? With an inward sigh Sasuke slid out of futon and trudged his way towards the living room. It was too early for this and the Uchiha had only slept a total of two out of twenty four hours. The nightmares had kept him awake for the most part.

Hinata's voice was soft and hushed, at least she knew how to speak indoors, while the other male's voice was just…too chipper and bright and _loud_ for it being morning.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have something for you Hinata-san." The sounds of rummaging could be heard as Sasuke moved to his spot where he could look out but they couldn't exactly see him.

Standing there in front of Hinata was Rock Lee, the source of the rummaging while he dug through his bag for something. Sasuke would never forget that ridiculous face and outfit. The chunnin vest was a new addition, he noticed, but he was sure that Lee's overall taijutsu skills far exceeded that of a chunnin. The guy had always been tall but Sasuke was sure that he was almost a solid six feet. Oh well, at least Sasuke was taller than Naruto, and that was comfort enough for his ego.

Lee pulled out a slender box, which probably at one point had looked very nice. Being in Lee's bag, however, the wrapping looked crinkly and the bow was now misshapen. The taijutsu master's face shifted from one of shock to one of disappointment.

"Ah…it was…" he gave Hinata an apologetic glance. "I am sorry Hinata-san, I had fully intended to give you a beautifully wrapped present for your belated birthday but…"

Hinata giggled and something tightened in Sasuke's chest. He didn't know what it was, only that the more he watched the two of them, the more pissed off he was becoming.

"It's okay Lee-san. I'm sure I'll love whatever it is you brought for me," her expression turned concerned "But, you didn't have to go through all this trouble for…"

"It was no trouble at all!" Lee insisted "I was on a mission when it was your birthday and I actually did not know about it until I overheard someone mention it. Since I knew your birthday had only been a few days past, buying you a present seemed best, if not a bit late. I will also make sure to remember it, so that next year I can give you a present that is on time."

The Hyuuga gently took the box from his hands with a soft smile and a blush drifting along her features. "Well…thank you Lee-san."

Lee flashed her, what Sasuke believed if his memory served, a 'nice guy' pose. When she started giggling again, he chose that moment to make his presence known.

"Why are you here?" Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, Sasuke emerged and leaned against the far wall. He didn't look at Hinata, who for some reason he was growing extremely pissed off at. What the hell was she giggling for anyway?

"Ah, so you are awake!" Lee turned his full attention to the Uchiha and flashed him a grin "I am here to train with you this morning. I was informed that you had been training in taijutsu and it was suggested that I should come to see if I could help in any way."

This…this situation had Tsunade's name written all over it in huge red letters. A week after he challenged Hinata to their 'bet' suddenly they send over one of their strongest taijutsu users? '_He wants to fight my medical ninja using taijutsu, I'll _give_ him someone to practice taijutsu with._' He was positive that had been her thoughts. She'd probably suggested it to Naruto, who of course would think it was an outstanding idea and call on Lee the moment he could.

Tsunade had pretty much made number one on his list of people he was going to kill when he escaped. What a petty, bitter bitch. Fine. He'd play along, all it could do is help him in the long run. One extra person giving a good word to Naruto and pushing away the negative ones – i.e., Tsunade – was acceptable. Lee would also be a rather loud supporter, which was even better.

"Whatever," was his eventual response. He finally turned to Hinata "I'd like to eat afterwards."

She blinked at him for a moment and then let out an 'Oh!', turning to Lee "Would you like to join us for breakfast, Lee-san?"

"Hinata-san, I would be honored to be able to eat some of your delicious cooking once more," he paused, as if he had just reached an epiphany "You know, you would make a wonderful wife for a lucky man someday."

Lee's tone suggested that he had been thinking of it as merely an observation but Hinata's face turned a bright red and she began to splutter, unsure of how to reply.

"Are we going to do this or not?" The Uchiha practically snarled it at Lee, making Hinata's gaze jump to his in obvious surprise. He ignored her, refused to look at her. What was her problem anyway, acting like an airhead around Lee? He ignored the rational voice telling him that he was reacting strangely; it was her fault, not his.

If Lee was bothered by Sasuke's tone, he didn't show it. Instead he looked excited "Yes, please lead the way!"

It was a little brighter by the time they walked outside, but it was extremely cold and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. Damn it, who trained this early in the morning? The fact that Lee looked wide eyed and bushy tailed did _nothing_ for his mood. It wasn't that he wasn't a morning person, but he had his limits, boundaries. This constituted as a breach of boundaries.

None of this showed on Sasuke's face, however. He remained as stoic as ever, despite the slight bags under his eyes.

When they were at a decent position Lee spoke up "Based on Hinata-san's report and what she observed, I would like for you to come at me full strength using only your taijutsu skills. From there I can determine what would be the best route for your training."

"And what exactly did Hyuuga say about me in this report?" His voice was flat and hard.

"She did not say anything bad, if that is what you are worried about."

"…Forget it. Let's just get started."

Lee shifted into that familiar taijutsu stance Sasuke remembered. Last time he had fought Lee it had been embarrassing to say the least, Lee hadn't even broken a sweat. If Lee had been training for the past almost three years in taijutsu, he was more than likely way more skilled than Sasuke, meaning a possible repeat of those years ago.

Logically, he understood that this was why Tsunade had sent him, a way of trying to humble the Uchiha for 'picking' on one of her medical ninja. Emotionally, he absolutely detested the fact that there was a possibility that Lee would utterly defeat him. It didn't matter that Sasuke's real skills lay in ninjutsu and genjutsu, his ego made him a sore loser.

With that thought Sasuke shot forward, a blur as he shifted his body to deliver a high kick to Lee's shoulder. Lee dropped down to a squat and blocked the powerful kick with only his forearm. Surprised by Lee being able to keep up with his speed, he twisted, landed, and then tried to strike from behind. Lee 'disappeared' and only instinct told Sasuke to turn and block as the taijutsu master delivered a kick of his own towards Sasuke's chest. Unlike Lee, Sasuke flew backward from the sheer power of the kick, flipping his body and forcing his feet to the ground. By the time Sasuke finished sliding and regaining his footing Lee was on him again.

Sasuke quickly learned that Lee was as fast as, if not faster, than him. As if that wasn't enough, Lee would purposefully have Sasuke take the offensive for a while, his eyes scanning every move calmly and patiently, as if the Uchiha wasn't even doing anything of importance to him. Then he would take the offensive and it took all of Sasuke's instinct and skills to properly block. A lot of times he wasn't fast enough and those blows felt as if he had been rammed by a tree trunk. Even blocking was beginning to hurt like hell, Lee was just impossibly strong.

By the time the sun had fully risen the 'spar' – or as Sasuke was dubbing it, 'the beating' – had pretty much reached its conclusion. The Uchiha was sweating, panting, and dirty. Lee looked as fresh as he had when he came out with him. It pissed him of, gods did it piss him off, because the fact that he hadn't even properly laid a scratch on Lee was insulting and demeaning. His ego was roaring for blood and retribution; how dare this guy make him look like a fool?

_That was why Tsunade 'suggested' him, remember?_

There weren't enough obscenities to describe how he felt towards the prior Hokage at that moment, so instead he focused all of his attention on a final attack. His goal was to land at least _one_ blow, that would be enough to somewhat appease his bruised pride. He made his move, putting everything into his speed and strength.

Two things happened. One, Lee dodged the blow with no small amount of skill. Two, Lee's elbow came into contact with Sasuke's nose, effectively ending the session.

"I – I am sorry Sasuke-san!" Lee's face would have been funny to Sasuke with how surprised he looked, but well, he wasn't in a good mood right now. He couldn't feel any blood but his nose was definitely broken and it hurt like all hell. "I thought you would have seen that and ducked back, forgive me, it was not my intention to strike you so harshly."

Knowing that Lee accidently hit him because he had overestimated Sasuke was more salt to the wound than he could take. Before he could properly lash out Lee was removing his hands and took a look.

"Ah, this can be fixed, please do not move Sasuke-san."

Sasuke actually cried out in pain as Lee quickly realigned his nose and the Uchiha's instant response was to strike at Lee.

Without even looking, Lee batted it away, his concern still written on his face as he tilted to get a final look. "Does that feel better? Perhaps we should call Hinata-san…"

That attack had been so weak for Lee he hadn't even registered it, his body moving automatically. Sasuke stood there for a moment, almost dumbstruck, then pure rage filled him as he realized how much of a slap to the face this had been. This had been done as a reminder to him as to his place, a reminder of his obvious limitations. It was also a warning, to not underestimate the ninja here in case he got any ideas. Tsunade wanted to play it that way, fine. He wasn't going to cave to the subtle manipulations of that old hag.

Suddenly, Hinata was beside him and moving to take a look at his nose. Sasuke snapped a harsh 'Don't touch me' before walking over to Lee who had, obviously, gone inside to get Hinata and was following her back outside.

"You," The Uchiha addressed Lee "I want you here tomorrow, same time even."

Lee nodded "That is fine. Unless I am given an emergency mission, I will definitely be here. Perhaps we can go over some things that I noticed you could possibly improve in with your defense. Your offense seems solid, you just need more power behind your blows. With hard work, we can definitely fix that in no time!"

"Whatever," Sasuke walked up the stairs to the house "Hyuuga, put my breakfast aside, I'll eat it later." He was going to shower and then avoid all human contact until Lee left and Hinata went about her business, otherwise he was pretty sure he wouldn't be responsible for the things he would possibly say or do.

_Damn_ his nose hurt.

xxxxx

He remained in his room – what else was there to do here? – lying on his futon with his arm covering his eyes. Dozing off at least twice since the training session, his third awakening was from the smell of food and shuffling at his door.

"Hyuuga," the shuffling stopped. "Just bring it in here. You don't need to scurry around like a mouse."

Slowly the door slid open, revealing Hinata and a tray of food. Sasuke remained lying down on his futon with his arm over his eyes, but he could sense her presence well.

"I, um, brought you something to eat, Sasuke-san. A-and I wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind me taking a look at your injury. I'm…not a skilled medical ninja like Sakura-san or Ino-san but…"

With one fluid motion the Uchiha moved himself into a sitting position, cutting her off. His dark gaze looked over at the Hyuuga with a blank expression. They remained like that for a moment before he turned his head to the side.

"Do whatever you want."

More shuffling as she walked over to his desk and sat the tray of food down. When she turned to face him he looked up at her from where he was sitting, his expression still a blank mask. She didn't seem nervous as she approached, although she was wary.

"I don't actually have to touch you to heal the wound so…" she let the sentence trail off and he continued to stare. What was there to say that wouldn't be just a waste of breath? Besides, he was still supposed to be angry at her for acting like an idiot earlier.

A delicate hand hovered just above his nose and Hinata began to release her chakra, giving it a greenish glow. Immediately the swelling and the pain seemed to fade bit by bit, until there was nothing but a little tenderness. The glowing stopped as she removed her hand, letting out a little sigh.

"It's still going to be a little sore for a few days but I think overall you should be fine now."

"Hn."

_Now_ his gaze on her was beginning to make her nervous. Her eyes darted to the door.

"Um, well…you can just leave the tray outside of your door when you're done. I'll come pick it up later. Goodnight Sasuke-san."

He surprised both Hinata and himself when the moment she turned and tried to walk away his hand darted out and grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip. Gasping, she stopped, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at his hand on her. His own eyes were slightly widened in surprise as he looked at his hand as if it were something foreign to him.

_Why…why did I do that just now? What the hell…_?

He could feel her eyes on him, knew that if he looked up she'd have the obvious question in her eyes. There was tense silence, yet he still didn't let go of her wrist. If he merely moved his thumb across her skin would it feel soft?

_Get her out of your room. Get her out now!_

Slowly, very slowly, he released his hold on her. She lifted her arm to rub at her wrist but he still didn't look up at her. He could still feel her staring at him. Was he really that bad off that his own body was reacting negatively?

_It's only been six months, you've been alone before._

Before, he had always had a goal, a purpose. A reason for being alive. Now he had absolutely nothing and was struggling, scrambling to find something. Anything. His goal of freedom was one he constantly wavered back and forth on as he sat alone in this room with nothing but his thoughts. The nightmares of his family and Itachi were becoming worse.

True sleep, not the little cat naps he would take, hadn't happened in who knew how long. He knew he was starting to go insane, having nothing but constant grief and pain. Revenge had been the cure-all, once he had it, everything would be fine again. He would be able to rest, to die even. In the end, the pain was still there, the grief and anger were still present and there was _nothing_ he could focus on in an effort to calm those feelings. He had been stripped of everything and now he realized he was possibly starting to lose it, and only after six months of captivity.

_I'm pathetic._

He did not tell her to get out, she did not leave. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. It was Hinata who broke the silence eventually.

"Um, Sasuke-san, I think your soup is getting cold."

Something bubbled in the pit of his stomach. It crawled up his chest and when he realized what it was, he fought the urge. The last thing he needed to do was start laughing hysterically at something that wasn't even funny. Or perhaps it was. All he knew was that if he hadn't stopped himself, he didn't think that he would have stopped. That was enough.

"I'll leave the tray outside when I'm done." Why did his voice sound so distant? For a brief moment there was a disoriented feeling, where it seemed like he was merely a spectator and this wasn't really his body and this wasn't really his life.

_I'm seriously going insane, aren't I?_

She took his words as a dismissal and this time when she turned and left, he did not stop her, didn't even realize she was gone until minutes later. It wasn't until the soup was almost ice cold that he finally rose from his futon and ate.

xxxxx

Two things stopped him from beginning to really lose it. One was the training sessions with Rock Lee. They were not every day, as Lee would sometimes have missions or things that he needed to do, but they were enough that it helped. Having a person instead of a wooden log to try and vent out frustrations was _much_ better. The second came in the form of Hatake Kakashi.

He knew eventually the silver haired jounin would come to visit him. Honestly, Sasuke had been surprised that he hadn't stopped by before. When Sasuke did run into him, it was just after he had finished training outside on his own one day. He walked into his room and Kakashi was there, sitting on his futon and reading a book.

"Yo." Kakashi raised a hand in greeting. "It's been a while, Sasuke."

"Hn." Sliding the door closed, Sasuke leaned against the frame, a small smirk emerging. "To what do I owe this honor of having the great Copy Ninja in my bedroom…reading porn?"

The jounin closed his book with a sigh and the shake of his head. "You kids just can't appreciate the fine qualities of good literature," he ignored Sasuke's loud snort "Speaking of literature, I figured since no one thought to bring you anything to read that I would give you a bit of my collection." He motioned over to Sasuke's desk were, sure enough, there was a rather large box.

"I don't want your porn collection, Kakashi. I don't care how bored I get here."

"Why don't you take a look inside the box before you refuse, hm?"

The look he gave Kakashi was obviously not one of trust, but he walked over anyway, opening the flaps and grabbing a random book, surprised that it was book on some rather unique techniques. Another book was fictional but looked as if it were something of a historical novel.

"Are you satisfied now that I didn't bring you a box full of porn?" Kakashi sounded amused although whether or not he was smiling was anyone's guess.

Sasuke went through a few more books before he gave a small grunt of recognition. With his back still to his old teacher he spoke "What's the catch?"

"Hm?" There was genuine puzzlement in Kakashi's voice "There is no catch, Sasuke, those books are yours to keep. I see that you have an empty bookshelf if you want to take them out and put them up." When Sasuke did turn to face him Kakashi gave him a small shrug "I already know what you're going to ask me, so I'll save you the time."

He hated it when Kakashi acted like this; like he knew him or something. "What was I going to ask you then?" His tone was snide, curt.

"You were going to ask me if I came here to lecture you like the others." When Sasuke stood in irritable silence Kakashi's visible eye lit up again with amusement. "To answer your question: No, I am not going to do anything like that."

That was a surprise. "Huh. Not going to rub it in my face about how now that I've had my revenge and I have nothing left that you were right all along?"

"No, especially since I don't like repeating myself. You did what you did, things happened the way they happened. I simply came here to see how my old student was doing and to bring him some reading material. That really is all there is to it." With that he stood up, dusted off invisible dirt and began to walk to the door. "Oh! By the way, there's a special book or two at the bottom that I selected just for you. Bye, Sasuke."

The Uchiha was positive that Kakashi was all but laughing when he slid the door closed just as an Icha Icha Paradise book flew with amazing accuracy towards his head, hitting the ground with a 'thap'.

"...Perverted bastard…'Special Edition' my ass."

Despite the – five, not one or two – porn books Kakashi slipped in, the remainder of them were either on techniques or completely fictional, ranging from realistic to outright fantasy. It wasn't a cure for what was going on with him, but it helped tremendously. Instead of sitting and listening to his thoughts go on and on until they became almost unbearable, he sat and read instead. It helped give him something to focus on, a way to 'escape' for a while from his thoughts and ever changing emotions.

The same day that happened Hinata came to his room later that night. She even knocked on the door. He had already eaten, so he looked up at her curiously from his book when she entered, flashing him a shaky smile before looking down at her feet.

"Um…" she began "I was…I was wondering if maybe you…if it's alright with you…that perhaps we could talk?"

The Uchiha gave her a strange look, trying to figure out what she was doing here and why she would all of a sudden want to do something completely out of the norm. It didn't take him terribly long.

"Kakashi talked to you, didn't he?" When Hinata stiffened and an embarrassed flush came over her face he closed his book and set it down, sitting up on his futon. "What did he tell you?"

"Well…he first asked me how I was doing and um, how you and I were getting along. He then asked me if you and I…speak often. When I told him the truth he suggested that maybe it would be helpful for you if you sometimes had someone to talk to."

"What if I don't_ want_ to talk to you?"

Hinata tensed and her hand reached behind her for the door. "I…I could leave…I…"

"What do you want to talk about Hyuuga?" He forced his voice to sound exasperated but in reality he felt that perhaps Kakashi had helped him out a bit more than he thought. Sasuke would have never tried to hold actual conversations with her on his own and she was obviously not the sort of person who invaded one's personal space unless necessary. Engaging in conversation would help bridge the gap and help him along with his on and off plan.

She stayed at the door, leaning against it a bit. "Um, whatever…I don't mind…"

The topic came to him immediately. "I have a question for you. It's been bothering me for a while because I don't really get it. Why are you in love with that idiot Naruto?"

Pale eyes flew up at him, her mouth stood slightly ajar.

Sasuke snorted. "It's _really_ obvious, Hyuuga, I noticed it the first day I came here. You do know he has a girlfriend, right?"

Something flashed in her eyes – sadness perhaps? – but then was gone. Instead of the expression he had imagined her to have, she instead smiled and actually looked…at peace.

"Y-yes. I know he and Sakura-san are dating. I congratulated them when I heard. Naruto-kun…he's always loved Sakura-san, and as long as he's happy, that's what matters."

If any other female had told him that he would have called them a liar to their face. However, Hinata didn't seem to be like other females he had been around. Her expression held no regrets, no longing for something she couldn't have. Saddened, perhaps, but her smile was genuine and Sasuke for the life of him simply didn't get it.

"Did you actually confess?" Why did he even care? Okay, so he was _mildly_ interested in what she saw in him, the guy was an idiot with little redeemable traits after all.

"I-I did…eventually." Once again, just like at the hospital, her hand moved to a spot on her chest. "D-during Pein's attack. Naruto-kun…I thought he was going to die and I wanted to protect him."

"From Pein?" He didn't even try to hide the skepticism in his voice. "What could _you_ have possibly done against him?"

She shook her head "That didn't matter. I just…who stands by and watches the person they love get killed and…and do nothing? It didn't matter if I died in the process, standing there just…it didn't seem like an option. I knew I was going to die, and I confessed then. I…I never expected Naruto-kun to return my feelings, I knew how he felt about Sakura-san from the beginning."

"So you just gave up? You didn't even fight it?" This wasn't something Sasuke could entirely understand, mostly because whenever he wanted something, he got it. Whether it was by earning it or taking it, he didn't just give up. Even if it took him years and years, if he wanted it, it would eventually be his. He applied this to everything, so when he tried to put himself in her shoes, the only thing he could think of was: _How pathetic._

"Being with Naruto-kun would have…it would have been nice, I think. B-but he loves Sakura-san, so that's who he should be with."

"You are the most selfless person I've ever met." It sounded nothing at all like a compliment. "I don't even understand how a person like you exists in the world." He all of a sudden felt really disgusted with her. It wasn't like she was spineless, she _had_ confessed after all, but instead of trying to fight and maybe get him to see that she could be worth it, she stepped aside for Sakura. The same Sakura who, if memory served him, had treated Naruto like garbage, refused to give him the time of day and hadn't given two shits how he felt when she tried to hang all over his 'rival'.

It wasn't like he _wanted_ Hinata with Naruto, it was just how she simply stepped aside and let someone else take what she wanted. He would never do that, the thought of that happening didn't even register in his head as being something plausible. The fact that she didn't regret it was probably what was pissing him off the most.

"Why the hell did you even confess then, if you knew he was going to go to Sakura the moment she threw him a bone?"

Hinata ducked her head, her bangs shadowing over her eyes. "I…it was important to _me_ that I confessed. It was something that I had needed to do, no matter what the results. I always kept things to myself and…I never spoke up or conveyed my true feelings. Over the years I tried to change that part of me, become stronger. So…for me, confessing was…that was the final obstacle. Even though he didn't return my feelings, that was okay because at least I had said it…at least I…had found the strength to do that. An-and they say that if you truly love something, you should let it go if that's its path."

"That sounds stupid. If I had wanted something for years, I wouldn't have stopped until I finally had it. Even those idiot fan girls understand something that simple. Why have those feelings in the first place if you're not going to have the person in the end? It's a waste of time." Love and romance in and of itself was a waste of time, but that wasn't the point he was trying to make.

The Hyuuga looked up at him and she gave him a serene smile that threw him completely off guard. "I think, Sasuke-san, that I'm glad I don't share that in common with you." When he just stared at her incredulously, she took that as her cue to leave, gave him a soft "Good night, Sasuke-san," and quietly left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

xxxxx

Over the next month, Sasuke and Hinata fell into a routine. Even though it was still cold it seemed the snow was going to stop falling for the rest of the season, which Sasuke appreciated greatly when training with Lee. Hinata would clean and he would come in to find the house smelling like homemade cooking and said edible lunch waiting for him once he finished his shower. He would sit in his room and brood or read until the smells of dinner emerged. Sometimes when he came out Hinata was still cooking. Sometimes she was gone. Regardless, her presence seemed to linger until 'his' house felt more like hers.

Hinata also trained, except she did so at night. He didn't notice it at first because he hadn't really cared or tried to pay attention to her, thinking that she simply went to bed a while after dinner. It wasn't until he kept being awakened by the sound of sliding doors between the hours of ten and midnight that he realized that she was actually _doing_ something.

Sasuke only briefly confirmed his suspicions by sneaking a peak and then left it alone. Sometimes she would come in after an hour or so, sometimes three to four. Either way he was a little surprised about how she could still manage to get up only a few hours later to make breakfast before quietly slipping away to leave him in peace. She never even had bags under her eyes.

Sometimes Sasuke liked the quiet. Sometimes, when he felt too cooped up in such a small space, he wished – actually wished – that they would talk. He didn't care what, he just hated sitting alone and while reading helped, it didn't feel like enough. Unfortunately, ever since that night when he had asked her that question about Naruto she had avoided trying to talk to him again like that. Not that he had tried to initiate anything either, even after he had gotten over his initial disgust with her selflessness.

Despite everything, her presence in the house was obviously there and in very small ways it helped with his bouts of cabin fever. Sometimes the scents of flowers, which clearly came from her room, would float about the house. At times when he simply lay on his futon dealing with his 'confinement' he would close his eyes and the familiar smells began to remind him of home. Of his mother. Of his family.

Then he'd remember where he was and why his family wasn't there anymore and he'd become angry. He'd break routine and go train extra, having to let out his pent up frustration, _needed_ to or else someone would get hurt. Even reading at times like that didn't help and the last thing he needed to do was hurt his 'caretaker' and end up destroying all of his plans. Probably for good.

It only took her twice of making his favorite meals after those days that he realized she was trying to comfort him in her own little way. A part of him thought it was disgusting how overly kind and forgiving she was. The part of him that was growing more and more claustrophobic from never really leaving the house craved the small amounts of attention she was giving him.

He would have moments where he'd want to get up and force her to sit down and have a conversation or simply keep him company. The moment he did he would slam down hard on himself, reminding himself over and over again that she was the _enemy_ and that he was here against his will. A prisoner. She would come to him or not at all.

_She's your jailer…_ he'd repeat to himself.

He never did go to her. If they saw each other they would take a quick glance and go about their business. Hinata would give him a shy smile, sometimes he'd grunt out 'Hyuuga' in return or just say nothing. She didn't seem to mind it.

Why was she doing all of this? The first time they met she had said, without hesitation, that she'd kill him if he went after Naruto again. The girl was in love with that idiot, although the feelings were obviously not mutual. This wasn't supposed to be a 'happy fun time adventure' for her so why the hell was she always smiling? Why did she treat him like an equal instead of being angry and looking down on him like most of the people here? He wasn't kind to her, he didn't spout colorful bullshit like Lee. She didn't giggle or look relaxed around him like she would with others. Why was she here?

"_You seemed…to want me here…"_

It was a laughable statement. Sasuke didn't know _what_ he wanted anymore. He wasn't going to crack after seven months of – basically – confinement, but he was sure that he was starting to…change. He was growing dependent on her presence because she was the only thing there, something real and tangible, not a fake life or personality from a book.

Lee only stayed as long as the training session lasted, so he was not a constant, not something to hold onto. His mind would start drifting to the conversations they had had in the past, hoping it would ease his ever churning mind. It did not. Basically, he was craving interaction, _any_ interaction, positive or negative.

Which, of course, put him in a foul mood. He didn't like that he was acting this way and he knew that deep down he was shifting and moving around mentally because he really didn't have a hold on what he should do with his life. Escape and then what? What was there left for him? There really was _nothing_ and the Hyuuga's presence – one that he could tolerate – helped soothe that ache, if only a small bit.

He didn't even think of his former teammates anymore. Who cared? He was stuck here, trapped in a place he _hated_, so who gave a damn about what _they_ were doing?

Naruto's 'visits' made things worse. He hated, actually _hated_, the blond idiot and every time he came to visit it took all of Sasuke's self control to not lash out at him. To scream and rip and tear and kill…

The sound of a sliding door and soft feet walking along the tatami drove him out of one of his many mental bouts. There was the sound of clanking in the kitchen and he knew she was out to make lunch. Instead of sitting in silence like he always did, he actually got up and stalked into the kitchen, startling Hinata in the process.

"I want onigiri." Gods, he sounded like a child.

A flush crossed over Hinata's features and she gave him a shaky, but sincere, smile. "O-okay."

Instead of leaving as he was sure Hinata thought he would do, Sasuke remained. He stood at the open entrance of the kitchen, staring. He could only see her back and her arms as she moved them to make his lunch but it was something different. It wasn't his room that he was starting to hate, it wasn't solitude.

The silence had started out uncomfortable until Hinata had relaxed, her shoulders loosening up. After a while she broke the silence with a small tune she began to hum. It sounded…wonderful to him. It was sound, it was something, _something._ When she started giggling – around him no less - he took that as the opportunity to talk. Or whatever.

"What's so funny?" Thankfully, he sounded unemotional instead of snappish.

Hinata peeked over her shoulder at him and then turned back. "Um. Nothing." When she giggled again, he found himself taking a step closer.

"It doesn't sound like 'nothing'."

"I can't." She giggled again and shook her head, mostly at herself. _Now_ Sasuke was curious. His mind was occupied with something besides his moody thoughts, so he took another few steps forward.

"Can't what?"

"Show you. I, um…it's just silly."

"Now I _want_ to see."

Sasuke ignored her spluttering and protests and closed the distance between them. He could actually feel the fabric of her jacket, he was standing that close. The Uchiha peered over her shoulder even though she gave a soft protest and tried to wave him away.

Silence. Then, "What the hell is that?" He backed away, scowling.

It was a horribly misshapen…rice something… with little beady eyes, seaweed cut and positioned similar to his own hairstyle and there was an angry line where the mouth was supposed to be.

Hinata blushed horribly, looking sheepish. "I-I told you it was silly…this one didn't come out so well so I was just playing around and…this."

"'This' being a horribly shaped rice ball that looks like me?"

Hinata ducked her head and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry…I was just…it was just for fun…"

Sasuke would later admit that what he did next was only because he has been feeling out of sorts. That it was cabin fever. That he was going slightly insane. He walked over, actually brushing against Hinata's back this time – earning him a soft gasp and a hard blush – and snatched the misshapen lump of rice.

"Just finish making lunch," he muttered and walked away, eating the…thing she had just made. At least it tasted better than it looked.

xxxxx

Things actually improved slightly after that. Sasuke didn't do it often, but he would come out while Hinata was cooking or cleaning and either just watch her – which he did sometimes only because he liked to see her squirm – or engage her in light conversation. After a few days she began to also strike up a conversation if he wasn't in the mood to talk.

It wasn't like they were friends or anything; most of the things they talked about were very impersonal and boring to the average person. Would have normally been boring to him if he wasn't stuck in a 'box' as he was starting to call it. It tore down one of the many walls between them and Sasuke found that he was in much better straights now that it wasn't so _quiet._

One day someone came for Hinata with a package. He only noticed it was a Hyuuga before Hinata slid the door closed and began to walk towards her room.

"What's that?"

It took a lot not to smirk when she nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning, she gave him a nervous smile "Um, i-it's my kimono…the festival is tomorrow."

He gave her a look that clearly showed he didn't know what she was talking about until he remembered last month when Ino had asked him about it. He had completely forgotten. "When are we going to leave?"

"Um, later on in the afternoon. I promised Ino I would make you guys something to eat together."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes "Why can't she make it? What are you, her personal maid?"

Her eyes widened and he immediately regretted his words. Damn it, he was really failing in his ability to speak with people properly enough to keep his 'plan' going.

"N-no it's not like that…" Hinata's voice was soft, low.

Sasuke ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I know." A pause. "Sorry."

Hinata didn't say anything at first, merely stared at him. Then she smiled and her eyes warmed as she shook her head. "It's okay. You're always cramped up here and you don't get to interact with people much. I'd…be a little crabby too."

"Obviously not. You're here with me and you seem fine."

Silence filled the room and Hinata's gaze drifted to the floor. He stood there, feeling like an idiot, wondering how in the hell kept saying and doing everything wrong. Whenever, whatever Sasuke put his mind to he excelled at. The fact that he couldn't even pretend to be nice was grating on him. He didn't like how he wasn't reacting according to plan, how he was screwing up. 'Uchiha' and 'failure' did not belong in the same sentence.

"Sasuke-san?" When his gaze flickered to her she looked away and down, clutching the package in her hands. "I've…I've been meaning to say something to you for a while." He didn't respond so she continued. "That…day. The first day in the hospital. I've gone over it in my head many times and I realized that what I said and did…it was wrong of me. To be honest if it had been me, I don't know what I would have done.

"I can't…I can't even comprehend what you've been through, the pain you felt and do feel now. Wh-what I said about Itachi-san was also wrong of me. E-even though I still don't believe in hurting innocents I just…I wasn't there. It wasn't me…so I had no right to say such things. Even though I was…I was angry still…it wasn't right. I'm so sorry."

When she bowed low he just continued to stare at her. His face was blank, his mind was racing. Oh yes, he remembered that day, but he hadn't expected this. For her to come back and randomly apologize made him feel a little righteous. A small, petty part of him wanted to sneer at her and toss aside her efforts.

"That – don't worry about that," He heard himself say "It's done. I'm not mad about it anymore." The words came out short and clipped, mostly because he quickly found himself irritated at the fact that he had spoken the truth. "Go try on your kimono."

"Oh…right." Turning, she cast a wary look over her shoulder at him. Then she turned back and bowed low again. "I…I really am sorry."

He fought the urge to sigh out loud. "Just _go_."

Later that afternoon Sasuke received his own package, courtesy of the Hokage. When Hinata had brought him the box he had motioned for her to stay a bit, mostly because he wanted to give her the trash when he was done, and opened it. He lifted the ridiculously loud orange happi coat with white flames and the entire ensemble that went with it. His eyes narrowed at Hinata when she gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

"It's not funny. I'm going to kill him. Slowly." He wasn't joking either. What the _hell_ had Naruto been thinking when he sent him this…this thing? Was it some sort of joke? No, Naruto had a horrible taste for fashion so he probably really did think this would 'look awesome' on him.

He glowered darkly at her when her shoulders started to shake, her face red. Her hands were still over her mouth and she was trying to hide her face.

"I'm not wearing this. I'd rather die."

Shaking her head, Hinata walked over to his closet and slid the door open. Since he hadn't many clothes he had yet to even look in there, but hanging up was a very plain dark blue kimono and a dark brown happi coat. There were even shoes.

"Th-they put this in here before you came. Um, just in case," she explained "So you don't have to wear…that if you don't want to."

_And you wanted to date that loser. "_Good. I'll burn this. Then I'll send him the ashes." Despite his calm tone – and if you ignored the death glares he shot Hinata – he was seriously pissed off. Just looking at the thing made his eyes hurt and the urge to break, or hurt, something increased.

She burst into a fit of giggles at his quite serious statement, which earned her another death glare. "And if you're even _thinking_ of imagining me in this atrocity I'll make sure you live to regret it." She continued to giggle and he ignored it, or rather, he secretly wanted to hear it.

Ever since she had giggled and smiled in front of Lee he had found himself selfishly wanting her to do that around him. It was childish, a possible sign of his growing insanity, and something he would deny under pain of death. In fact, he mostly denied it even to himself, because trying to think too hard on why he wanted something so ridiculous wasn't healthy.

"Sasuke-san, would…would you mind if I take that?"

He briefly contemplated throwing it at her but quickly realized it would be a bad idea. Instead he closed the box that held the offensive material and thrust it at her.

"Get it out of my sight." He demanded and she quickly took the box and left the room, trying to stifle her giggles the entire time.

xxxxx

Because it was the first of many festivals of the year, it held one of the biggest turnouts. This highly annoyed Sasuke, who disliked crowds, but it also seemed to make Hinata a little wary as well. It made sense; she was a very reclusive person, always trying to keep a polite and respectful distance with everyone. She did not glomp or hug or even try to molest him. Being in a crowd where she could not avoid close contact was probably what had her on edge.

The one thing Sasuke noticed when they first arrived at the meeting place Ino had set for them was that he was being watched. It wasn't the same sort of stares from ANBU, as they hung around his house and watched him often. It wasn't the same as other Konoha shinobi or even wary civilians. This feeling held killing intent and he remembered it from before when Hinata had dragged him over to see Ino over a month ago.

He didn't tell Hinata, not wanting to attract attention to the fact that he knew and also because Hinata could very well already know. He didn't think she was that skilled, but he had underestimated her before and he knew little of how good she actually was with that bloodline limit.

The drums were beating in the background, the soft chirping of wind instruments not far behind. The two of them walked side by side this time, and Sasuke looked down at her briefly. Her kimono was a light blue that was covered in a floral design, her obi was a pale yellow.

Long dark hair was tied up and to the side, held securely by her hairpin. Hinata wore no makeup but she didn't need to. With her pale skin and her natural blush that seemed ever present at times, she was fine as she was. He even allowed himself to admit that he found her rather pretty. The thought was unnerving, but it didn't feel as bad as he thought it would.

_It should bother you. It should bother you a lot._

They actually ended up waiting for Ino to show up, standing out of the way of the crowds. It was still light out and Sasuke could only assume that Ino had wanted Hinata to bring a lunch so they could all 'sit and share'. As his eyes scanned the crowd trying to find the source of that ever present sensation of being watched, his hands slipped underneath his sleeves to make sure the two kunai he had stolen from Hinata's personal stash were there and secure. If she had noticed them missing, she hadn't said anything yet and he wasn't going to tell her. They were there for his peace of mind; going out without any sort of weapon was something he just could not do comfortably.

Hinata _was_ actually armed; he could tell when he looked closely enough. Probably only a few kunai, but he was impressed that she actually thought of it. If it had been one of his silly fangirls, they would have been so caught up on their 'date' with him they would have completely forgotten the basics of ninja training and left their weapons behind.

"Hinata-chan! Sasuke-kun!"

Ino latched onto his arm and he resisted the initial urge to push her away in a rather violent manner. Hinata stepped forward, the wrapped lunches in her hands.

"Ino-san, it's good to see you," the Hyuuga greeted before she gave Ino a quizzical look "Um, you never did say where we would find a spot…"

"Don't worry, it's perfect." Ino looked up at him "I'm really glad you came, Sasuke-kun. A part of me thought you'd change your mind."

Sasuke regarded Ino, taking in her painted face, her blond hair pulled up similar to Hinata's, and the light green kimono she wore. If he was honest with himself, Ino didn't actually look half bad, but she didn't seem to have the subtle grace and fluidity that Hinata displayed. The difference being that Ino looked like she was just wearing a kimono, Hinata looked as if she was _made_ for kimonos.

"I said I was coming, so I'm here." Sasuke eventually said. Ino snuggled closer to him and began to lead the way, which actually wasn't too far. The area was just on the outskirts of the festival, a clearing with a few trees nearby and a lake a good distance away.

Hinata laid out a thin blanket for them all to sit on and began to unwrap their meals. Ino was practically trying to do some sort of osmosis thing with him, she was _that_ close. He had never really liked it when girls actually hung onto him and years had not changed that. It took a lot for Sasuke not to say anything or brush the blond off; tolerating her presence and being a 'good boy' tonight would greatly increase both females opinion of him and he needed that.

The sensation of being watched was not as intense out in the open, leading Sasuke to believe that whoever it was wanted to strike in a crowd. Easier to get lost that way. The festival would be the perfect place to try and kill him from a distance and Sasuke had no doubt that was this person's intentions. An assassin perhaps? Disgruntled individual out for revenge? Regardless, he'd be ready.

How Ino managed to eat and still keep a good hold on him was something he didn't quite understand as they began to eat their lunches. The Yamanaka did most of the talking while Hinata would chime in every now and then. Sasuke said very little and really wasn't even paying much attention to the conversation.

Neither female seemed to mind his silence and their lunch went quickly by without incident. Ino let Hinata clean up but then insisted that she give her the blanket and the lunches so she could stash them at her store. A bit of mild protesting from Hinata, which was ignored by Ino, and then the Uchiha found himself walking along the decorated streets of Konoha with the two females.

Inwardly, he hated this. He hated these people, he hated this village. Ino continued to prattle on and would sometimes drag him to booths to either grab a snack or play a game. She had managed to drag Hinata into play one or two games, neither of which she won.

"Damnit, these guys cheat anyway. And what's with the rule that you can't use your ninja abilities huh?" Ino protested when Hinata, who had been playing the game where one tried to acquire a fish, had lost all of her five attempts.

The Hyuuga gave Ino a small, slightly nervous, smile. "It's alright Ino-san, the money helps them, that's one of the good things behind the festival."

Ino wouldn't be dissuaded so easily "Yeah, but that doesn't mean they should take advantage of us poor helpless young girls."

Sasuke tried not to snort at her for her comment. Hinata just smiled and continued to follow Ino as she dragged her 'date' along, not wanting to argue. It was times like this that her passive personality tended to irk him. It seemed as if she just let people have their way without even trying to fight it. A good example was their lunch, something that Ino could have easily made herself yet had the, basically, third wheel do it. Hinata not only did it, but she done so with a _smile_ on her face.

He knew what really bothered him about her, it was the fact that she seemed to have an almost perfect personality. When it came to envy, anger, jealousy, selfishness, hatred; it was as if she were immune to having such feelings. People like her didn't, or rather shouldn't, exist and it pissed him off how nothing negative seemed to have any real effect on her.

"Oh wow, look at _that_." Ino's breathless voice cut into his thoughts "It's so beautiful."

The two girls were in front of a booth that held glass and crystal figurines and jewelry. The 'beautiful' item she was talking about he noticed was a long crystal rose created with striking detail. The actual rose itself was a deep red and two of the leaves were green but the stem itself was left unpainted.

"Ah, I see you've caught an eye for our finest item," the vender, an elderly gentleman, said to Ino. "It's one of a kind; you won't find it many other places as it was handmade. If you play the bottle game at the adjacent booth and win the grand prize you can get a voucher that will make its cost considerably low."

The two booths were playing off of each other? Figures. Both females seemed rather enthralled by the majestic looking rose and Sasuke found himself trying not to roll his eyes. In certain things, all females were hopelessly predictable.

Ino began trying to barter with the vendor but Hinata stepped back and moved to the far end to glance at some of the other items.

He sensed it then. The moment Hinata's attention seemed to be elsewhere that killing intent became stronger, closer. Eyes scanning the crowds and buildings Sasuke couldn't see anything that looked out of place. His hands reached into his sleeves and took hold of the kunai but didn't reveal them just yet. Where was that bastard hiding at?

Suddenly, Hinata emerged right in front of him, her Byakugan activated and kunai at the ready to protect him. It was also the same moment that he _knew_ the assassin was striking.

_If you don't do something, she's going to die._

What he ended up doing defied all logic in his mind. One hand grabbed Hinata and pulled her directly against his body, his other arm became the blocking force for the kunai that had been shot with amazing accuracy towards his heart and, because she jumped in front of him, Hinata's forehead. Startled screams erupted and civilians began to disperse.

He ignored all of that. Sasuke, with Hinata still against him, pulled out the kunai from his forearm. The Hyuuga twisted to look at him and gasped when she realized that his black eyes were actually red.

It was unbearable pain, activating the Sharingan, and it was through some miracle that he had been able to withstand it as long as he had.

"Idiot," he muttered at her just as he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head and darkness claim him.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Updating this as I will not be working on fanfiction this month due to NaNoWriMo. This is the turning point in the story.

More notes at the bottom.

xxxxx

7

xxxxx

When Sasuke eventually opened his eyes, he found himself once again staring at a familiar white ceiling. His head felt as if someone had taken out his brain and beaten it with a club. There was a small stinging pain from his right forearm but compared to the headache it was a tickle.

"You're awake," came the voice he knew and had pretty much despised ever since he initially woke up in this place. Turning his head to the side he, sure enough, saw Tsunade sitting in one of the chairs. This time she was actually sitting it in correctly. Her expression looked severe, not mocking or full of hatred like before. "I'll let Hinata know in a minute, I wanted to talk to you about the attempt on your life."

"You mean it wasn't you who sent the assassin?" He meant to sound sarcastic and snide but it came out more serious than he had wanted.

The former Hokage gave him a thin smile. "If I was going to kill you, I'd do it myself, not hire someone," the smile disappeared. "The person who attacked you last night was not caught, so he is still out there and ANBU are looking for him but we have no leads."

"Why do you even have ANBU if they can't even track down one pathetic assassin?"

"Because they weren't able to track him down," Tsunade continued as if he hadn't said anything. "We strongly suspect that it's because this assassin could be an S-class, maybe even a missing nin. There was absolutely nothing that we could find; not something that would be possible unless this person was extraordinarily skilled. We are almost confident that this person was hired to kill you, which helps our prospects a bit. Since he was hired and he's as skilled as he is, that lets us know it was someone with considerable wealth. We've already started investigating likely suspects."

The Uchiha let all of it digest slowly. "Why are you telling me this? I'm a prisoner after all."

"Just because your status is the way it is doesn't mean that people can get away with anything they want. The Hokage wants you alive and well, meaning that you need to understand the situation and what you're dealing with. When we find more information, we'll give it to you." With that she stood up "You can be released today, I've already cleared it."

Stiffly, Tsunade headed to leave. Just before she opened the door she turned her head slightly towards him. "Thank you for saving one of my medical ninja. You could have let her take the blow for you and ended up without a scratch. It's good to see you're not a complete bastard."

Sasuke raised his wrapped arm up to look at as Tsunade closed the door behind her. His expression was blank, almost bored.

_Why did I do that?_

It wouldn't have hurt his efforts if he hadn't saved her because it wouldn't have been his fault. He didn't even really like her, her beliefs were the exact opposite of his and it grated on his nerves. Not only that, he had activated the Sharingan even though he had known what would happen. That was just going above and beyond what he felt was a necessary effort.

All he could remember was the sensation that she was going to die if he didn't do something and his body simply reacted. No real thought had been involved. He tried to think of reasons why he would have wanted to save her and came up completely blank. One's body didn't just react without a reason; something had to be there to trigger it.

He didn't have much time to think on it as his door opened again and Hinata walked inside, carrying some sort of white flower. He sat up, disliking lying prone around others. There were telltale signs of bags under her eyes, meaning that she didn't sleep last night, and they were slightly red rimmed. Her eyes weren't puffy so he wasn't sure if she had actually been crying or not.

"Um," her soft voice cut through the silence. "O-only essential personnel are allowed here so...Ino-san wanted me to give you this."

_Why did I save this girl's life?_ "Hn," he responded; black gaze heavy on her. Her own eyes were downcast but he was sure she could feel it.

She walked over and placed the flower, which was in a tiny vase, on top of the stand beside his bed. Sasuke continued to stare at her, his eyes eventually flicking up to her face.

"Why are you looking as if I had actually died?" The question came out hard and blunt. Hinata remained standing where she was, looking down at the flower she had just placed. When she didn't respond he spoke again. "Let me guess, you somehow feel responsible for me being here."

Hit the nail on the head. Her entire body tensed and she looked…well, he wasn't exactly sure if he could properly explain the look on her face.

The uneasy silence continued until Sasuke's patience ran out. "If what that old hag said to me earlier is true, you never would have been able to stop that kunai at your current level. The fact that you had sensed it at all is amazing all on its own."

"I still…" her hands began to do some sort of fidgeting thing. "I'm s-supposed to protect you and you ended up protecting me. I…I failed to accomplish the task I was given. I ended up just being a burden in the end."

Sasuke supposed he should have seen her presence as a burden, especially considering the shit he went through to protect her, but he didn't. She _had_ seen it coming, even he had to activate his bloodline limit to react fast enough.

"Whatever. He's gone now but he'll be back. If you're that concerned, try training harder so next time he strikes you'll be better prepared. It'll probably be a while before he strikes again so stop looking pathetic."

Her gaze turned abruptly to him in surprise. Hinata opened her mouth as if to say something and then she changed her mind, turning her gaze back to the flower. She smiled sadly. "You're right. I just…I just have to train harder so that I don't fail next time."

The Uchiha turned his gaze away from her. The more he looked at her, the stranger he began to feel. It was uncomfortable and something he definitely could not name.

_Something is wrong with me._

"I was told I could leave whenever. I'd like to get out of here now. I hate hospitals." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"Oh…um, are you sure you're feeling alright? The cursed seal…"

"I'd feel a _lot better_ if I was out of here." He pointed out, sliding the covers off his body. Pleased that he was still in his normal attire he got out of the bed, stretched out his limbs a bit, and began to walk towards the door. "Let's go Hyuuga."

xxxxx

The incident was not spoken of again and as another month went by he heard no real news. The assassin was gone and ANBU had no leads. Typical.

Sasuke began to avoid Hinata, still unnerved by his strange reaction towards her during the festival. Her presence alone had him often at odds with himself, for he had very little positive things to say about her, yet he kept doing and feeling strange things. When she was around he either felt like he wanted to do or say something to get a negative reaction out of her – like who seriously just doesn't get angry? – or he wanted to snap at her for whatever reason popped up in his mind. At the same time there was something else there; as indescribable sensation that was actually triggering his outward hostility. Trying to figure it out lead to frustration and so he had long stopped trying.

Over the rest of the spring that Hinata was there, that strange sensation kept growing. It also made him edgier, to the point where even training with Lee didn't help. He understood that this was counter-productive. The Hyuuga was so far the one person who had spent the most time with him, her overall report on him was important.

If it ended up being overly negative it would make his plan that much harder to execute. Sasuke knew this, understood it, yet he couldn't seem to control the words that came out of his mouth or his actions when he tried to interact with her. The scenario was something he didn't quite know how to deal with and knowing that he was failing to do something as simple as being nice to his 'caretaker' was really pissing him off.

A part of him eventually began to understand what the feeling was but it was too confusing and nonsensical in his mind. He really wanted to attribute it to insanity – he still felt like he was descending into madness – but the closer it came to spring ending the more he realized he wouldn't be able to blame it on that forever.

There was dread creeping up on him, a serious fear for himself as a person. He realized that didn't want Hinata to leave. She had become his only constant in his life and losing that, losing her, was an absolutely terrifying concept. What would he do? What could he do? He was sealed, under house arrest and whoever they sent to take her place wouldn't be able to fill the void like she could.

The house would stop smelling of flowers and her cooking. Everything she did reminded him of the good times he had shared with his family and facing the reality of her leaving had made the loss of that devastating to him. The awkward silences would be gone, more than likely his training regime would be restricted. All he would have were his books and he was beginning to run out of unread ones. If Tsunade had her way he'd never leave this place and who would want to bother to escort him around? Naruto could only do so much and the blonde's visits were becoming fewer. Even if they sent Ino, it wouldn't be the same. No, it had to be her, it had to be Hinata.

Sasuke began to grow restless. He slept less and he knew that he was slowly beginning to become hysterical and out of control in the face of his upcoming situation. Often he paced his room like a caged animal; his thoughts chaotic, random, and lacking in sense. Depression hit him hard and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he cracked.

Thoughts of his 'plan' and of escape flew out the window due to his irrational fear of losing the constant in his life; all that mattered to him was her not leaving. Eventually he had to admit to himself that if she left; he would eventually go mad. No one else had made him feel comfortable enough to be around; none of them had become an anchor like Hinata had. She was safe, grounded, _always there_. He needed her presence, just her presence. Anything and everything else didn't matter but he _could not lose her._

_Am…I in love with her?_

No, that was absurd. It wasn't about romance although his desire to keep her around was emotional and not based on logic. He felt this way because he was desperate and because she was the only one that brought him any semblance of peace – and even that wasn't much. He didn't even know what love was, he had never even had a crush on a girl before.

She was just there, just there, her presence calmed him; that was all. He needed her, needed her so much because everything about her screamed that she _belonged_ here with him and so she couldn't leave, she had to stay. No one else would do; not Ino, not Sakura, not Lee, none of them. He needed her, he _needed_ her…

It wasn't until he was flat on his back, eyes wide and wild with confusion, that he realized he was shouting. Something had rendered him unable to move and his chakra flared in his maddened panic. There was the faint smell of plaster and a strong scent of lavender in the air. He felt his mind split from his body. Inwardly, he could see what he was doing and he knew he should stop and yet he couldn't. It seemed that control was just in his reach and yet when he tried nothing happened. As the dark haze began to fade he realized that the smell of plaster had been from the numerous holes that were now in his walls.

_I'm having a panic attack._

That was his first rational thought but yet his body still kept moving, he still felt wild and out of control. When he tried to focus on himself again he found himself alarmed and numbed at the same time. He was no longer on his back, instead he was pinning someone to the ground, a low growl emerging from his throat. Vaguely, he realized that it was Hinata and he wanted to do something about it but couldn't. Her white eyes were wide with alarm, concern, and not a little bit of fear. He could only imagine how he must look.

The rage began to subside upon looking at her but he didn't feel calmer; if anything her presence continued to agitate him, because she was _leaving_. He had nothing; no life, no family, no home, no friends, no comrades…_nothing._ It was then that he realized the truth: she had become something to him and he was terrified of losing that.

He didn't have 'nothing'.

He had Hinata.

"Don't leave me."

His breathing was ragged and his heart felt unsteady, as if it was skipping beats or moving too fast. Sasuke felt light headed and was still not fully in control of his feelings and emotions. Confusion filled him; what was going on? Why was this girl on the floor? Who was he? Wait…he was Uchiha Sasuke, he was in Konoha and he was having a panic attack due to cabin fever and gods only knew whatever else. He kept chanting this to himself but it was as if there were two halves of him; one that was logical and one that was horribly confused and disoriented.

She gasped and a small part of him knew that he had said the words out loud. He had been thinking them, hadn't he? He didn't know, he felt so confused and stifled. His chest hurt, he couldn't breathe, everything felt as if it was closing in on him. She couldn't leave! He was so _tired_ of being alone, of people leaving him. His mother, father, Itachi, his clan. He was so alone, so tired, so lonely…

The scent of flowers completely filled his senses and numbly he understood that he was no longer sitting up but was lying on top of her, his face buried in her neck. Thinking was impossible so he settled for just trying to breathe, to not think about how everything seemed to be closing in on him, a thick darkness that was all consuming.

The prospect of her leaving was apparently the breaking point for him, he was finally cracking. For a long moment nothing happened, the two remained like that on the floor and although he didn't feel better, his breaths and heartbeat was calming. He finally had something after months of nothing, he _needed_ that something. He needed…

_A shrink_. His logical mind, which was very, _very_ slowly beginning to claw its way out from the fog, emerged. It was true, he needed to do something because he knew the only reason he was clinging onto her so hard was because she was the only thing he had even remotely connected with and that was it. It wasn't feelings of love or adoration, it could have been anyone; she was just the one his subconscious had chosen for whatever reason.

It did not stop his mouth from saying crazy things, nor did it stop his actions that he honestly had no real control over.

When her arms had moved around him he had no idea but he raised his head, taking in her appearance. He stared at her for a very long time, taking in her flushed face, red eyes and tear streaked cheeks. She didn't look harmed…

"Why are you crying?" he asked the question gently, tilting his head in obvious confusion. With one hand he began to wipe away her tears. "Don't cry, Hinata." Then he frowned, because he suddenly didn't know who this girl was and why he was here. Wait, where was here? He didn't feel so good.

Then he was on his feet and staggering back but his equilibrium was out of whack and would have lost his balance had Hinata not grabbed his arm and pulled as hard as she could; keeping him steady. When she gently began to guide him to the bed to sit he went obediently, still too out of it to function normally.

Her smile was shaky and she was obviously very nervous. Hastily, she wiped at her face and forced herself to meet his gaze "Sasuke-san…are you alright now? How are you feeling?"

The Uchiha's response was to stare at her blankly, unable to respond. His thoughts were blissfully silent for the first time in years. No chaotic thoughts, no images of his dead family, no thoughts of escaping, of Konoha, or anything. He didn't feel as if he was barely hanging onto his sanity, he didn't feel _anything_.

Black eyes flickered down to his lap where Hinata had taken his hand in both of hers, her expression pleading. She seemed to be looking for something, what he had no idea, so he just tilted his head at her, waiting.

Still shaking, Hinata knelt in front of him, biting her lip as he continued to look at her blankly. "Y-you w-want me to s-stay…Sasuke-san?"

Dark brows furrowed slightly. "Yes." He closed his eyes because his head felt extremely light and he was becoming dizzy. Still not out of the fire yet.

"I hate everything in this fucking village," it was said coldly and he felt himself becoming irrationally angry. "I hate being here, I hate having to live in confinement, I hate this _fucking room_, I hate the fact that I know I'm going crazy and I can't do anything about it." He put a hand through his hair and tried to control his breathing "I'm fucking losing it…" he was talking more to himself now. "I'm seriously going insane."

He sounded a bit frightened, because he was. He was sitting back in his mind watching himself completely lose his sanity and he had no way of stopping or controlling it. His actions and words were just coming from him; there was absolutely no thought to it.

It was as if he was drunk and felt the need to spill all of his secrets. He dipped his head, his hands going into his hair and staying. "You can't leave, Hinata, you're the only thing that doesn't completely _piss me the fuck off_. None of these bastards that will replace you will do anything for me, they won't understand. When you were gone before I hated it, I can't do it again."

He chuckled darkly. "I want to get the hell out of here but who am I kidding? Where would I go? What would I do? Who would I go to? The others? I don't even know if they're alive. Not that it matters, because I _can't_ leave, not with the seal and being surrounded by Hyuuga, ANBU, and who only knows what else.

"Why did he save me? Did he think _they_ would become my reasons for carrying on? They didn't even _know me_, what made them think I would magically connect with them? I have nothing holding me here; _nothing_." Something warm grabbed his hands and he blinked, looking up at her as she kept his steady. He had been shaking. He regarded her numbly, as if looking at her for the first time.

_Don't leave me. I'm tired of being alone._

With his face still devoid of emotion he slid one hand from hers to cup her cheek. She looked a little surprised but mostly her eyes were filled with sorrow and she was still crying. Black eyes flickered over her face. "Your presence…is all I have." He tilted his head and finally did the thing that he had secretly desired for _months_ now but had been denying it, refusing to entertain the thought. He honestly didn't remember what happened next as his lips slid over hers in an almost bruising kiss.

xxxxx

"I want her off the mission immediately." Tsunade tossed the folder holding Hinata's most recent report concerning the Uchiha on the Hokage's desk. "Do you understand what's happening, Naruto? Hinata could very well be in danger now and she's asking for another damned extension. I refuse to endorse it this time."

Frustration moved through the blonde as he pulled the folder to him and opened it, going over the words he had already looked at over and over until he thought his eyes would bleed. Naruto felt his irritation rising, because a _lot_ of this could have been prevented and yet at the same time his hands had been tied.

Sasuke's cabin fever was serious; he was practically in solitary confinement. He had gone out twice, and only twice, in an almost ten month period and because someone had tried to kill him the council had wanted to keep the Uchiha under lock and key until they found the person or the one who had hired him and Naruto, at the time, had agreed.

Now he was beginning to think it had been a horrible idea. He had thought the training sessions with Lee would have helped but apparently the positive effect hadn't been powerful enough. With Hinata, he had hoped that perhaps Sasuke would open up since he had seemed to not mind her being around. In Naruto's mind, if Sasuke had just one person from Konoha that he could call a friend then it led to other possibilities…but it had backfired horribly.

"I should have visited him more." He murmured, guilt filling him. If he had tried a little harder, maybe brought the outside to Sasuke things would have been different. Just keeping a guy locked away alone and hoping he'd get better or eventually come to accept things with time had instead began to drive him slowly insane.

According to the report he was showing signs of claustrophobia, he'd had a serious panic attack, had experienced a bout of delirium and confusion; not knowing who he was or where. Kakashi had warned him that it would happen, that someone like Sasuke _needed_ to be active and do things , but what choice had there been? After everything he went through to bring his friend back he wasn't about to lose that guy to an assassin…but…

"That's not the point, kid!" Tsunade's hand slamming on the table brought him sharply out of his reverie. "He's developed a serious emotional dependency on Hinata and with his violent outburst I don't want her anywhere near him. We have no idea if he's a threat or not." Standing up straight she crossed her arms. "He needs to go to the psych ward. They'll be able to deal with him, they have medicine and –"

"He's _not_ crazy, Granny!" the hokage exclaimed, scowling. "I mean, all the reports were showing that he was growing more and more uneasy being in that house by himself; both Ino and Kakashi said he needed to be allowed to go out more, even if it was just to walk around Hyuuga grounds." But those bastards had denied that, saying that it was enough that they were allowing Sasuke to live there as it was.

"He just…needs a break. He needs to be able to go out and do things if he wants…" he shook his head "I think we should give him some of his abilities back, Granny. He knows he's stuck and that's probably making it worse. Locking him up in the psych ward and pumping him full of drugs ain't much different than what we're doing to him now."

A frustrated noise left him and he moved his hands through his hair roughly. "Damnit!" this meeting was about to become violent. With determination filling his bright blue eyes, he looked up at Tsunade "I'm going to grant Hinata her request."

To her credit, she didn't fly off the handle. Her brown eyes widened in complete disbelief and for a long moment no words were said. Then she scowled; her expression hard "I know you really want Uchiha to accept life here, kid, but he's _not_ in love with Hinata. He's confused and growing disturbed; she's been the only thing constantly around him and he's latched on to that. That's it, Naruto." Her tone was severe.

"That's not love, it's dependency and it's unhealthy. They need to be separated, especially if Hinata becomes confused and thinks Uchiha is serious. If that happens and she begins to grow romantically attached, she becomes a liability. He'd be able to use her to escape or did you forget that she's the heir to the Hyuuga clan and a part of the main house? If anyone could help him escape, it'd be her."

_Shit._ The unfortunate part was that she was absolutely right. Even though Naruto had a feeling Sasuke wouldn't honestly try to leave, the threat of it would be enough if Tsunade decided to go over his head – and he had a feeling she would this time.

_But if they pull her…_

Hinata had said that Sasuke claimed he would be unable to handle her absence and Naruto fully believed that. Tsunade could say whatever she wanted, she didn't _know_ Sasuke. It was so obvious to him what was happening and he knew if Sakura was here she'd feel the same way and he was going to approach her about it after this. Maybe even Kakashi; the jounin understood Sasuke even better than they did in certain aspects since they used to be so alike.

If Hinata had been the only female Sasuke had interacted with Naruto would have been more wary and probably would have agreed with Tsunade, but she wasn't. There had been a good number of females that had watched over him for a time, even Ino, but it was Hinata that he had wanted to stick around. The rest of the old team seven would understand the significance where no one else would.

"He's not going to hurt her." Naruto was convinced of this." He sighed. "Sorry, Granny but I'm not budging on this one either. Until the council says otherwise, I'ma grant Hinata's request to extend and I'm going to grant her the request to allow Sasuke to go to the selected areas in the village whenever he wants with an escort. Kakashi, Ino, and Hinata think that all he needs is the freedom to move around a bit and I agree with them." He closed the file.

"Naruto, this isn't something to play around with!" Now she was losing her temper. "You can't keep allowing your feelings for Uchiha cloud good judgment and sense! Just because you have all this faith in him –"

"Granny." He stood up, his face unusually stern and serious. "I didn't spend years trying to find and bring Sasuke back just to lock him up in a psych ward and turn him into a vegetable with drugs. You can fight me if ya want, but until the council themselves tell me no I'm going to give Sasuke the chance everyone's been wanting to give him about this cabin fever thing. If it doesn't work then…" if he truly _was_ going insane and there was no way to get him back…

"If that doesn't work then you can do whatever you want, I won't stop you, but what's been going on ain't right and locking him up without even trying is just wrong to me. This is my fault…I don't want him to suffer because of _my_ mistake."

Her hands clenched into fists and he could tell it was taking her a lot not to just blow up on him "Naruto," she let out a breath "If Hinata gets hurt or even killed because of this –"

"I'll step down as Hokage." The blonde said with utter conviction. "If Sasuke hurts her in any way, I'll step down then and there…but I believe in what the others are saying, I trust them, Granny." His expression became full of sorrow. "We…kind of owe it to him."

He didn't want to fight Tsunade, it'd be much easier if she agreed to give it at least a chance. "Please, Granny…just this one chance. I know you think I'm being blinded because of my feelings…" he sighed. "but maybe you are too, if you think about it."

She opened her mouth to protest before she snapped it shut, a small wry smirk emerging. She had been reluctant to give the Hokage position over to Naruto so soon but looking at him now – she was glad she had. Tsunade hated to admit it but if she could use the argument that his fond feelings for Sasuke were marring his judgment he could argue that her hatred for Uchiha was marring hers. So a compromise. It was very diplomatic of him and definitely not something she would have been able to imagine him doing when she had first met him and he had been nothing but a snot nosed brat.

"Alright Uzumaki, we'll play it your way for now." She lifted two fingers. "But I want the investigation on that assassin made a priority. If he's an S-class shinobi Hinata won't be able to protect Uchiha. Two, I want surveillance around him increased, especially when he leaves. Just to add on a bit of icing to the cake, I also want him to check in and out with you _personally_ whenever he decides to go anywhere."

She couldn't help but sigh with a smile when a huge, cheesy grin broke out on the young man's face "You got it, Granny! You'll see, everything's gonna work out, I can feel it."

_I hope you're right Naruto…I really do._

AN: The symptoms Sasuke displayed were based off of things that had actually happened to me, most of them anyway. It truly is a terrifying experience that I'd wish on no one.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** It's been two months, so here's an update. I want to stay ahead but I refuse to keep you guys hanging for months on end. I'm actually starting to get a schedule down, so updates on everything should come sooner and not later. Let's keep fingers crossed.

Anyway, here's the chapter you guys have been waiting for.

xxxxx

**8**

xxxxx

'The incident' was never discussed again.

In fact, the two pretended as if it had never happened and continued interacting normally. Sasuke was given partial usage of his Sharingan and he was allowed late night walks around the village as long as he was escorted. The walks helped considerably with his mood over the weeks. He began to mellow out and become more stable. He preferred the forests and other locations far away from human life and had made it very clear that he did not wish to be bothered by anyone when he was allowed to be out and about.

They did not speak much to each other during these times, or much at all. Regardless, Hinata's very presence seemed to be sufficient enough to keep him stable. Things stayed like this for a few weeks before he began to notice that there was obviously something on the Hyuuga's mind.

He said nothing, mostly because he had a decent idea of what her problem was. The only reason he had kept silent at first was because it was obvious that what had happened obviously wasn't going to affect her decision to remain with him.

It wasn't out of pity that she stayed, although he wanted to believe that because it would make trying to dislike her easier. He had a love/hate relationship with his feelings concerning her and while they never discussed what happened when he had broken down, he thought about it constantly.

It wasn't love; that was an emotion that had been ripped from him at a very, very young age.

"_Hinata-chan," he heard Sakura from outside the front door and paused, hiding his chakra. Why was she here? He hadn't spoken to her since that day in the hospital. "Why are you doing this? Is it because you pity him?"_

_Oh, so they were talking about him. Why he had thought differently was beyond him – this was Sakura after all._

"_No..." From where he was standing he could see Hinata's back and she was effectively blocking Sakura's view of his location. She lowered her head "It's not pity. I just..."_

"_You should withdraw from the mission, Hinata-chan." She cut in and Sasuke fought down the irrational urge to go over to Sakura and tell her to piss off. Did her meddling know no bounds? "Naruto doesn't think so but I think you've been compromised."_

"_I...I don't know what you mean, Sakura-chan. Are you trying to say –"_

"_If you think he actually has any feelings for you, Hinata-chan, you're wrong." It was said coldly and sternly and the Hyuuga stiffened "He's using you; please don't let him manipulate you like this. Sasuke-kun...he's not capable of love. You're...you're only going to get hurt like this."_

"_Like you were?" Surprisingly, there was absolutely no malice in Hinata's tone, merely an observation._

_Instinctively, the pink haired woman tried to strike at the Hyuuga but she caught her wrist and Sasuke's respect for her rose a bit._

"_Sakura-chan...I don't love Sasuke-san."_

_Why...did her saying that bother him? What was this?_

"_Hinata-chan –" she tried again but the other girl shook her head, letting go of Sakura's wrist._

"_Sakura-chan, it's not pity and it's not love that made me extend my time here. I know Sasuke-san doesn't love me, I know that he could be possibly trying to use me. I know he hates the village and I know that given the chance, he'd do everything he could to escape. But that's not why I'm here."_

_It was obvious that Sakura didn't get it and if he were honest with himself, he didn't get it either. He had been surprised when she had extended 'until further notice'. The first thought that had come to mind had been pity, but Hinata wasn't that sort of person. Pity would not have been enough to keep her around._

_With a sigh, she took a step back "I'm here...because he needs me to be here." Both Sakura and Sasuke stiffened in surprise at this "It's...really that simple."_

But Sakura's words had affected her nonetheless, for the Hyuuga had become distant and withdrawn ever since that confrontation. He wondered if she knew he had overheard, she was a tracker after all. Trackers were normally more sensitive to their surroundings because they had to be.

He couldn't deny her claims because he had made it more than obvious that it was true – he did need her and in the worst way. He didn't like being so emotionally attached to someone; he didn't like the fact that the thought of her leaving him alone terrified him. She couldn't stay in that house with him forever; eventually she would _have_ to leave, his wants and needs be damned.

Sasuke was more than aware that his feelings were, more than likely, obsession and not of the good kind. He wanted her around but he didn't. He – after finally admitting it to himself – desired her but he certainly didn't want to. She was nothing like him and he hated everything she stood for.

So why? Why her? Why was it that the thought of losing her felt the same as losing a piece of himself?

The questions still plagued him because he didn't have an answer and he desperately wanted to know. What was it about Hinata that was causing these reactions?

Although he had never been with a woman and had always shown no interest it didn't mean that he was asexual or – as the rumors had it – gay. It wasn't as if he had never thought about sex, but passing fantasies to be quickly dismissed after taking care of it was all he had ever allowed himself to have. Romance, love, relationships, none of that had a place in his life – and it still didn't as far as he was concerned.

But it was different with Hinata and he knew it. He obviously had to have her presence in his life, in his mind it wasn't an option. This wasn't something he understood or knew how to deal with because he had never held any real romantic feelings for anyone, male or female.

'It was that simple' didn't make sense to him. She owed him nothing and he wasn't exactly kind to her either. He refused to believe it was 'that simple'; there had to be a deeper reason, right?

"_I don't love Sasuke-san."_

Why? Why did that _bother_ him? He had never been so confused in his entire life and as much as he'd like to get rid of the problem...he couldn't. He couldn't because his problem was his solution and he just...

"Hyuuga." He stopped walking and she stopped a few steps ahead, her pale gaze inquisitive. He took in pale skin and her gentle expression. "Why have you been skulking around looking as if you've been slapped in the face?"

She stiffened and then turned her gaze away, frowning. "I'm sorry, i-if I've been bothering you..."

"No." he paused "Is it because of what Sakura said to you?"

Her eyes widened and she looked a number of emotions he didn't quite understand. "Y-you...heard?"

The moon was half full and the weather was getting warmer; summer was coming. He looked up at the sky, his thoughts still heavily chaotic. "Yeah." Another pause "She's right, you know. About me. Took her long enough to figure it out."

When she didn't immediately reply he looked down to find her frowning thoughtfully. She didn't seem sad or disappointed and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

_Why do I want her to have feelings for me?_ That's what it was, he was sure of it now. It was the most bizarre thing ever, because he had never wanted a girl to like or love him. The fact that it was the one girl who had never liked him was annoyingly ironic.

He couldn't take much more of this confusion; it was frustrating him to no end.

"I..." she sighed and turned her back to him. "I feel that...if you _want_ to love than you can and will. I don't believe that there's a person that can't feel pain or sadness, love or happiness. Having feelings is a part of what we are."

"Do you think I'm in love with you?" it was asked bluntly and he hated it that a part of him couldn't answer the question honestly.

Turning, she blinked owlishly at him "Um, well...the only person that can answer that question is you, Sasuke-san."

Why was she so calm while he was confused and conflicted? Irritated, he closed the distance between them in a second, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. She gasped and her face turned several shades of red. Her discomfort made him feel a lot better, although now that he was touching her for the first time since the incident his discomfort increased. Mostly because she felt good pressed against him, all soft curves with the gentle scent of flowers. Memories of the way her lips had felt emerged and he really needed to back the hell off before he'd do something he'd regret.

"What if I was?" he dipped his head, his lips moving closer. Just once more, she had felt so good the last time. "What if Sakura was wrong and I do actually love you? You're the first and only female I've ever been attracted to. You're the only person I _want_ around me, you're the only person that means something to..."

This wasn't happening. He didn't want this, he didn't want _her_. Abruptly he let go and turned to head back "I'm done walking." He said curtly and without waiting to see if she was following he began to walk briskly back to the Hyuuga district but stopped when something soft and gentle touched his hand.

They stood like that for a moment, his back to her and her hands gently holding his. He closed his eyes, annoyed at himself for enjoying the way her hands felt. He didn't want this. Nothing good could or would ever come out of it

_Go._

_Don't leave me._

_Get away._

_I think I'm..._

"If this is love..." his eyes opened and he felt her stiffen behind him. "I don't want it."

She let go and he started walking again, his thoughts and emotions all over the place. What did this all mean for him? What about his plan? If he was honest with himself he had pretty much all but given up on it. It wasn't possible for him to leave and even if he could...

_I can't leave her. I'm pathetic._ Nothing made any sense to him anymore.

Then Hinata had to go and confuse him even more for weeks to come. "Love...isn't something you _want_...it's just something that _happens_."

xxxxx

_I swear to the gods if I hear the word 'youthful' one more time I will probably kill myself with my own Chidori._ Sasuke thought miserably as he sat between the dynamic green – or dynamic gay, as he was dubbing them – duo Rock Lee and Maito Gai. Were they honestly not related? How was that even possible?

_Tsunade, I hate you so much._

What had he done to piss her off to where she had Naruto – and Sasuke knew only she would put that idea in that idiot's head – send over _both_ 'green beasts' to give him training? Supposedly 'super important' training at that.

Except the two had done _nothing_ but banter about nonsense for the past _hour_. Why where they here? Why was _he_ here? The Uchiha resisted the urge to put his face in his hands as he sat on the ground in the backyard of his 'house' – prison – praying for peace. Even death would be acceptable at this point.

"Alright then!" came the sudden exclamation, making Sasuke's head snap up at Gai. Finally! "We'll decide this with Rock, Paper, Scissors! Whoever wins will do this their way and the loser will have to do five hundred laps around the village on their hands!"

_I'm going to kill them._ Sasuke's eyebrow twitched dangerously and his hand itched for his katana. The level of stupidity he was experiencing should be illegal; it was surely brain damaging. He _felt_ dumber after sitting here with these two and if Hinata didn't hurry up with that food...

_Hinata!_ His salvation! His temporary reprieve from insanity!

"Yeah..." he stood up, inching towards the door. "You two do that...I'm going to go check on lunch." They thankfully didn't even notice as he slipped inside. Closing the door behind him he sighed and then started after almost running right into the Hyuuga. She had a tray of tea in her hands as she blinked up at him.

"Sasuke-san?"

Heat rushed to his face and he turned his head to the side, feeling very awkward. He had forgotten that he had been avoiding her ever since that night...because ever since that night his reactions to her became even stranger. Whenever he saw her his heart did something funny and his face would heat up like it was doing now.

It didn't help that she had started blushing as well. Was it simply in reaction to him or was it something else? Did he _want_ it to be something else? He wished he could understand what was wrong with him; he'd fix it and then move the hell on.

"Those idiots outside are trying to decide who's going to train me via rock, paper, and scissors." He muttered, still refusing to directly look at her.

"Oh." She giggled and something completely foreign emerged within him.

_I don't want this. I don't want these feelings._

"I thought they were supposed to be giving you more information on the assassin." She cut into his thoughts.

_What?_ "The assassin?" he turned to her "What did –" looking at her, his face – if it were even possible – began to heat even more. It was so _moronic_, she wasn't even looking at him any kind of way and yet he wanted to close the distance between them and do something extremely foolish. He was forced to look down and to the side, absolutely frustrated with himself and her. "What did they find out?"

"Um...w-well..."

She was nervous. She only stuttered when she was nervous. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, Sasuke was in a constant state of confusion around Hinata.

"It has been decided, my friends!" both teens stiffened as the door abruptly slid open, revealing Lee. "For the first time in years I have defeated Gai-sensei!" he looked as if he didn't know whether he wanted to be happy or cry.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to the topic of the conversation. Gai smiled "It was a tough battle, my finest pupil. A worthy achievement! Since it's you Lee, it's to be expected." He took a step back and gave them all a thumbs up "Well, I better get going; those five hundred laps aren't going to walk themselves!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee turned to him, his expression and posture determined. "Although I won, I would never pass a chance to improve though rigorous training! After this, I will join you!"

Another thumbs up. "That's the spirit, Lee! I'll be waiting! See you folks later!" he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Gone, Lee turned back to them "Alright, lets –" he stopped and blinked at Hinata and Sasuke's expressions "Is something the matter?"

"Some part of my brain that processes intelligent thought died just now." The Uchiha said blandly, still looking a little dumbfounded.

"Um..." Hinata held the tray with a smile that denoted she had no idea of what was going on.

Lee took in the two standing side by side – and rather closely – and smiled. _It would appear that Naruto's assumptions were correct._ _Ah, the springtime of youth in which love blossoms – I will do my best to help!_ "Ah, thank you for the tea, Hinata-san." He walked over and took a steaming cup "Your tea is always amazing. I am assuming then that lunch is ready?"

That seemed to snap her out of her stupor. "Oh! Um...yes." she turned towards the kitchen "I'll be just a moment..."

"I will assist you!" he took a few steps after her and then stopped, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The Uchiha looked at him as if he had lost his mind. In response, Lee gave him the thumbs up with the same hand and a wide grin. "Do not worry Sasuke, I understand perfectly." After all, he knew what it was like to be in love. "I will do everything in my power to help so do not become discouraged!"

"What." When Sasuke continued to stare in disgruntled confusion, Lee's smile broadened and he continued to follow Hinata. He couldn't wait to tell Naruto, his friend would surely be pleased to hear it.

They both seemed to be shy though, he would have to converse with the blonde to see if there was something they could do about it. Hinata would be good for Sasuke; Lee could already see the changes in the Uchiha because of her influence. This made him feel optimistic; Naruto's dream of Sasuke becoming a Konoha shinobi again was now highly likely and that made the taijutsu master glad. He had always been a fan of happy endings.

"I will set the table, if that is alright with you." Lee offered and Hinata turned to him.

"Oh, thank you." She said politely over her shoulder. Lee grabbed the plates from the cupboard, taking note of how even though Sasuke stood off to the side he was definitely staring at Hinata with a heavy frown. He didn't look angry, mostly frustrated and confused and mentally Lee nodded his head with understanding. People like himself and Naruto welcomed their heart with open arms, so they were able to know and understand love the moment it hit them.

For people like Sasuke or even Neji – men with a lot of pride who hated feeling vulnerable – love was a weakness to them. While untrue, it still meant that they tended to live in denial longer than others who truly embraced the beauty of love. A conundrum indeed! The Uchiha was very stubborn and tenacious; it would be no easy feat.

But that was the beauty of a challenge! He would just have to proceed delicately and he would definitely need some outside help.

"What the hell is this?" The Uchiha stared at Lee a few minutes later at their little round table. With the way the seating was positioned, Lee was sitting directly across from Hinata, leaving the Uchiha sitting next to her regardless of what side he took. Lee was already in his seat and he smiled inwardly. Had Sasuke sat across, he could have eaten his food without looking up at Hinata. However, in sitting beside her, she would constantly be in his peripheral vision, making him more likely to be tempted to stare. An ingenious plan, Gai-sensei would be proud at being subtle with potentially dynamic results.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" he asked innocently and was flashed a glare for his troubles.

Sasuke looked at the table's arrangements, looked over at Hinata, turned red, and then scowled. He looked away, his posture tense "I think I'll eat lunch in my room." He muttered but Lee was already on to him.

_Not so fast, Uchiha Sasuke! You cannot escape love's embrace!_ "But Sasuke, I must inform you about the assassin and the training Naruto asked of us. Now would be the perfect time."

Tensing, Sasuke turned back to Hinata very briefly before looking at Lee again. "It can't wait?" he looked very uncomfortable.

_You will thank me someday, my friend._ Lee looked confused "What is wrong with discussing it now?"

Nothing, and both males knew it. Lee watched the internal battle within the fallen avenger. He was too prideful to come up with a petty excuse and as Hinata approached with the food he plopped down in his chair, crossing his arms and looking very upset. "Never mind. It's fine." Was the terse reply.

"Excellent!" he waited until the food was given to everyone before beginning. "To start, the assassin that attacked Sasuke at the festival has been caught."

This was obviously news to them and both stared at him in wide-eyed shock.

"When was this?" The Uchiha wanted to know.

"About a week ago. Ibiki-san has been interrogating him and was only able to acquire information yesterday." He shook his head "Unfortunately, the man did not know who it was exactly that hired him as he had worn a disguise, but he confessed that he was not the only one who had been hired. There are at least five more individuals close to his level of strength."

"Tch. Annoying."

"Was that all he confessed to?" Hinata asked, frowning thoughtfully "He didn't know the identities of the other assassins?"

Lee shook his head "No, but Ibiki-san says that he believes the man knows and assures us that he will have the information soon."

"Alright, so what's this training about then?" Sasuke sat back in his chair and was keeping his gaze steady in Lee's direction. He almost smiled.

"Because of the amount of assassins, Naruto felt that you should be taught the more difficult aspects of our mine and Gai-sensei's style. The council refuses to fully unlock your abilities until you agree to become a Konoha shinobi but they do not wish for you to be completely defenseless. So although you will be unable to utilize your more advanced ninjutsu, your taijutsu should compensate since it is you. It will not be extremely advanced but he feels that it will be enough."

At first Sasuke looked highly irritated. Then he frowned, thinking. "Where will this training take place?"

"This area is too small for what we would need to do, so training will be at the training grounds."

"Done. Any excuse to get out of this place is a good one."

"Lee-san?" Hinata gave him an inquisitive look "Will I be needed during these training sessions?"

The question got her a sharp glance from Sasuke before he turned away and Lee shook his head. "Hm? Oh no, it is not mandatory since Gai-sensei and I will be considered his escorts but you are more than welcome to join us! I know that your style and ours is completely different but the Juuken is not without its uses in regards to taijutsu."

Pink dusted her cheeks and she looked down at her food. "N-no I'd...I-I'll remain here or r-run errands."

Lee felt a little disappointed by this but the look on the Uchiha's face denoted he wasn't pleased either. Although he was not a fan of conflict, he understood that sometimes it was good for progression. "I see. Well, that is alright in any case, I am sure being here constantly is stressful sometimes. I do not know what I would do if I was unable to properly train or take on missions."

It was not until he said the words that he realized how they sounded and he realized that he had slipped up. A very strange expression flickered on the Uchiha's face before disappearing and a worried and slightly guilty expression emerged on Hinata's.

"Ah!" he raised his hands in a peaceful gesture "I did not mean –"

"Is that all?" Sasuke cut in and Lee took in the other male's completely blank expression, inwardly scolding himself. He could only hope that his words would not leave any lasting damage.

"No, that is all that I was given as far as information goes."

Standing, Sasuke began to walk away. "I'll be in my room." It was said coldly and Hinata's expression was definitely that of sadness as she watched him walk away.

xxxxx

When he did not come out for dinner, Hinata came to his room and he was half tempted to tell her to go away. He was _not_ in a good mood.

"Sasuke-san?" she slid the door open with a tray in her hands, her expression a mixture of sad and worried. He sat on the floor as he usually did, a book in his hand. Keeping his thumb in as a placeholder, he glanced at her.

"What?" he took in the tray and then his gaze flickered back up to her. She blinked and then looked away, growing embarrassed. The gesture irritated him.

"_I don't love Sasuke-san."_ She had said that, so what the hell was she looking embarrassed and shy about?

"_I'll remain here..." _

"_I am sure that being here constantly is stressful sometimes."_

_She doesn't have to fucking stay. _He thought viciously._ I don't need or want her damn pity. If I'm such a burden she can leave anytime._

As if sensing his growing irritation she walked in tentatively, unsure. Ever since lunch his mind had been whirling with chaotic thoughts, conflicted feelings, and anger. Hinata had made her choice; it wasn't his fault that it ended up with her not really having a life or being able to be a proper shinobi. She was his damn babysitter and he knew it.

If she didn't want to be around he didn't want her around. She had seemed so eager to dump him off with Gai and Lee to go do whatever it was she wanted to do.

In a sudden bout of irrational jealousy, the thought of her wanting to ditch him to go be around another guy enraged him. 'Run errands' indeed; everything was brought to them and Hinata's list was always thorough, so that was a lie. Or maybe going to see the guy was her 'errand'. If she was so willing to ditch him it made him rethink the idea that she wasn't there out of pity. What other reason could there be?

"Um, I'll just leave this here." Her voice brought him out of his thoughts but not his anger. She placed the tray beside him as she normally did and as she drew back his hand snapped out, grabbing her wrist in an almost painful grip. She gasped, startled, and winced, tugging lightly. "S-Sasuke-san..."

"Who is he?" the words came out low and cold as he glared up at her. _Who's the guy that's gotten your attention now when you won't even spare me a second glance?_

The thought stunned him and he almost let her go but anger won out. So what if Hinata never liked him like all the other girls had? He didn't _like_ her so what did it matter? He just didn't want her pity and he sure as hell didn't want to be some sort of charity case for her.

She looked genuinely confused "Who? Sasuke-san I don't...I don't understand..."

He tugged on her wrist to the point where she had to bend her knees or risk being pulled to the ground "Don't play stupid. The guy you're going to be ditching me for when I'm off with Gai and Lee."

"What?" she was shaking her head now, thoroughly lost concerning his thought processes. He stood, not letting go of her wrist, and she took a step back, alarmed. "There's no...there is no –"

"If you don't want to be here, I'm not forcing you to stay." He cut in and took a step forward, feeling a bit of smug satisfaction at how frightened she was beginning to look. He began to back her into the empty corner of his room "If I'm such a burden, _leave_. I don't need you, I don't even _want_ you."

She was still confused for a moment longer before it clicked in that he was upset over what happened today. "That's not..." she shook her head as her back finally hit the wall and she was effectively pinned in. "I don't pity you. A-and staying here, that's –"

"What is it then, if it's not pity? You said it yourself, right? Being here is stressful. You're not able to go on missions or have a life; instead you're stuck babysitting me."

Her eyes widened. "I didn't say –"

"I'm fine now that I'm allowed to actually go out and do things." he continued "So leave. Go away. I'll be just fine here without you." He was so angry he couldn't think straight at all. He wanted her to leave, to go to whoever it was that wasn't him because he wanted to hate her, he wanted to stop feeling so confused and conflicted.

Hatred was an emotion he knew well and was very easy to embrace. He tried to grasp onto it, because all of the other emotions bubbling up inside of him weren't things he wanted to admit or deal with.

"Sasuke-san...I'm here because I want to be here." She was frowning but she didn't seem angry. But this was Hinata, she _never_ got angry; she never hated, and she seemed to love everyone.

Except him. He hated it. Hated her.

_Leave._

_Don't. You..._

"There isn't...there isn't anyone. I..." she sighed in slight frustration as she tried to find the proper words "It's just that...you've seemed so uncomfortable around me lately that I thought that if I stayed behind y-you would have a break." Her expression became downcast "I know you...don't _really_ want me here. Not if you could help it."

_She's lying._ She was basically saying that she had wanted to stay behind for his sake? Ridiculous; no one would do something like that for him, he wasn't an idiot. She was just trying to confuse him, something she was extremely good at it.

"You're not going to hurt my feelings, just tell the truth. I'm just a charity case, you feel bad because I had a moment of weakness and you were there." She shook her head and opened her mouth to protest but he continued before she could. "You were real quick to jump on the opportunity when Lee brought it up."

Tears sprung to her eyes but he refused to allow it to sway him "_Please_, Sasuke that's not true, I don't feel that way at all."

_Liar!_ He wanted to shout at her and realized when she flinched and ducked her head that he actually had. "I'm not _stupid_ Hinata, do you honestly expect me to believe that you _want_ to be here? Why? You said it yourself, you don't love me...I guess now that I think about it the reason is because you already have someone else waiting, huh?"

"N-no! That's not –"

His anger, at that point, had reached the boiling point. Thoughts of her being with another, of her wanting to ditch him, of her not even liking him flooded his mind. His anger, frustration, and confusion concerning his feelings for her only added fuel to the fire. He was tired of feeling conflicted and confused; he was tired of all of it.

And with that, something finally broke loose.

"What's wrong with me?" he shouted at her and she recoiled but was still pinned. "What do they have that I don't? Why is it that you're the _only_ girl I can't get to look at me?"

Her face was already flushed but it began to burn brighter at his words. Now she looked surprised and confused "W-wait...I..."

"_I don't love Sasuke-san."_

"Why?" he seemed to calm down although he was breathing heavily. He closed the remaining distance between them, forcing her to look up at him. "Why _don't_ you love me?" That question had been plaguing him ever since she had said those words and with logical thought thrown out the window he was acting purely on his emotions. His hand rose to cup her cheek and she gasped as his head lowered.

"You're the first girl I've ever liked, the first girl I've actually _wanted_ to be with."

_You can't leave. Don't leave...you..._

He framed her face in his hands, his eyes taking in her wide eyes and parted lips. "Don't go to him. You belong with me." A hand delved into her hair and he pulled her flush against his body, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Uploading all the fics I can early. Merry Christmas.

xxxxx

**9**

xxxxx

He was pretty sure that he had lost his damn mind.

At the moment, he really couldn't be bothered to care.

She felt as good as he thought she would; soft lips and all curves. This moment was something he had only lived out in his dreams that he had dubbed nightmares at the time. As his lips slid over hers and his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace he tilted his head to a better angle, coaxing her to part for him.

Right as she did he felt warm hands slide up his chest and there was no helping the moan that escaped because it just felt too damn good. Once again he, unfortunately, had Orochimaru to thank for knowing – for the most part – how to be somewhat intimate. He had absolutely _refused_ to have sex with anyone that had been presented but in other things he had bitten the bullet as the sannin had held more advanced training as the carrot on the stick.

Hinata tasted of something sweet that he couldn't pinpoint but he actually didn't mind. One of his hands slid into silky dark strands and he pressed up more against her, stopping only when her back was against the wall. She was clearly inexperienced so he guided her, a sigh escaping both of them when her arms wrapped around his neck.

It should have clicked in that she was actually _returning_ his kiss but it didn't. Not at all.

They parted, breathless but he didn't give her long for a reprieve before his tongue delved into the sweet cavern of her mouth once more. Another low noise escaped as his grip on her tightened, tongues mingled and she quickly got the hang of it. The hand that had been in her hair shifted as he traced his fingers lightly over her cheek and jaw. Her hand moved into his thick hair, fingers massaging. He shivered.

He wanted her _so bad_, it wasn't even remotely amusing. He wanted her, had to have her, she was _his_ and he was tired of fighting it. Still keeping her pressed against the wall, his hands began to move down her sides and under the jacket. She had a mesh shirt on so he couldn't feel her skin but he could feel her frame. He had been right about her not being as thin as Sakura or Ino but that was fine; she had the figure of a woman.

He had to have her now; it wasn't even an option at this point. This time when they parted he whispered her name, dark eyes hooded as he trailed his tongue along full lips teasingly. She gasped, hesitant, but he merely began to give her short but hot kisses, his hand moving back into her hair. How long they were like that he had no idea, only that when she pushed forward to deepen their kiss he felt his groin stir and he resisted the urge to rock his hips against her.

Instead, he began to move backwards, never breaking, hands roaming. When he reached his usual spot on the floor one hand flew to her waist while the other slowly unzipped her jacket. His breathing was ragged as he broke and hovered his lips over hers, brushing lightly as he finally moved his hand over one full breast. Both moaned softly when he gently squeezed. Perfect. Everything about her was perfect. Her body fit along his as if she had been made for him and he was absolutely in love with it.

Claiming her lips again, he tugged her as he sat back down on the floor, making her straddle him. Gently, he slid the jacket off her shoulders, his hands gently brushing along her back and back down to her hips. He pulled her closer, wanting to feel her against him. He shivered when he felt her heat against the straining tent in his pants. _So good..._ His hands pulled on her hips again and he thrust his up, needing the friction and wanting the feel of her.

He broke the kiss as his head moved back; his hold on her became borderline bruising as he arched his back. "Oh, _gods_..._Hinata_..." it was a loud moan because _fuck_ she felt so good, so hot, he needed more. The Uchiha had never had such a strong reaction to anyone, not even when he first started having sexual thoughts.

He closed his eyes briefly as he rubbed against her a few more times; if he came right now he wouldn't even be surprised. His hand grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down again, kissing her with abandon and swallowing her gasp at his ministrations. His other hand was pressed along her lower back as he continued to thrust his hips up into her heat, wishing he could bury himself inside of her.

If it was anything like what he was experiencing now he wasn't sure if he'd survive. She was given a low noise of appreciation when she began to move her hands up his chest again, although this time it was rather shaky. When she began to move her hips automatically in response to him the grip in her hair tightened and he jerked up, loving the feel.

Why had he fought this? Now that she was in his arms he couldn't understand why it hadn't already happened. She felt amazing, she _was_ amazing; why had he been so adamant to deny it? Now that he had finally had her he couldn't get enough.

In his lust filled haze he hadn't realized that she was becoming less responsive and that her touches had become fleeting. It wasn't until she pulled back that he noticed how red her face was and her heavy breathing.

Hinata looked so beautiful; kiss swollen lips lightly parted, pearl eyes darkened with arousal and hooded. Her chest was rising and falling rather erratically. She swayed in his arms and alarm grew.

"Hinata?"

"I...I..." a rough gasp escaped her as those eyes rolled to the back of her head and she went limp in his arms.

"Hinata!" his arms tightened around her as he pulled up to get a good look at her. He started when he realized what had just happened; he couldn't even believe it.

She had fainted.

xxxxx

It was pitch black when Hinata finally opened her eyes and found herself in an empty room. Her bedroom. Still a little light headed, she slowly sat up, frowning as her mind tried to catch up to her body.

When it slammed back into her with amazing clarity, her face heated and she almost fainted again.

Had that really happened? Did they really...make out? She was too stunned to process rational thought because it should have been impossible.

His hands had felt warm, calloused, and strong as they had moved over her body and a small shiver went through the heiress as she recalled it. His kisses had been...well she had practically melted in his arms after the first one and her brain had taken a vacation shortly thereafter.

"_What's wrong with me?"_ Sasuke words from earlier bounced around in her head, her hands flew over her mouth at the memories.

"_Why is it that you're the _only _girl I can't get to look at me?"_ She had felt stunned at the admission and had truly been at a loss for words when he had finally snapped. Now she felt conflicted and unsure. Hinata had been convinced that his interest was one that he abhorred because he was confused and stressed from confinement.

Now she knew that hadn't been it at all. Even he hadn't realized it, but his feelings _weren't_ reluctant, he had just been in denial. He did want to be with her and despite all of his claims to the contrary, he wanted her to stay.

How was she supposed to feel about that? For a long time now she had been at a loss concerning him, understanding him but knowing nothing. A year had already passed since his arrival and so far she had spent half of that with him in the house. Despite everything that had transpired between them, there had been a sense of comfort between them. Nothing overwhelming, only that it had never really felt tense or uncomfortable with them both in the house constantly.

"_Why _don't_ you love me?"_ Had it not been for the fact that she had known he hadn't been trying to be conceited she wouldn't have given those words much thought. He had sounded so confused and hurt; two things she never would have associated with him at the same time. He wanted her to love him, which made no sense because he wasn't even in love with her and she knew that.

"_You're the first girl I've ever liked, the first girl I've actually _wanted_ to be with."_ Face heating up even more, she put her cool hands on her face and looked down shyly even though she was alone. That wasn't the first time he had said something like that. There had been the incident a few weeks prior when he had told her he had overheard her conversation with Sakura. His actions had confused her then as well.

With a sigh, she managed to stand and noted that he had actually had the decency to put her jacket back on her. With that came the memory of how it had came off in the first place and she tried to control her breathing.

Her behavior had been...unbecoming for someone of her station and if the others found out they probably would force Naruto to remove her from the mission. She had acted so wonton, his words and everything going on between them had clouded good judgment and sense.

How did she feel about that? About him?

_I can't hide in here forever._ She took in another calming breath, knowing that she needed to get answers from him but not desiring another confrontation. Steeling herself, she walked out of her room.

It was bright enough outside with the moonlight for her to have immediately seen his silhouette at the back of the house from the door. Biting her lip, she slowly crept over, her mind chanting words of encouragement. Her hand hesitated at the door briefly before she finally slid it open.

He was standing on the walkway, his gaze to the sky. The Uchiha did not acknowledge her presence which made her very nervous. Although she was decent at reading people there was nothing in his expression that showed any emotion.

If she had to take a guess, he was probably regretting what happened and when he finally would speak to her he'd pretend it had never happened like he always did. Holding back a sigh she stood beside him a respectable distance away, clasping her hands in front of her and looking up at the night sky. The moon was full and it was truly beautiful.

_I can do this._ "S...Sasuke-san..." she began but he cut her off.

"I like you."

He didn't look at her when she stared at him with open shock. Sasuke looked completely relaxed although she was positive he was anything but.

"I might have been in denial," he continued "but I'm not stupid. After you fainted and I calmed down I started thinking about a lot of things."

"O-oh..." her gaze turned away from his and she felt shy. She fought the desire to put her hands over her beating heart, knowing that it would give too much away. It had always been hovering in the air above them, his true feelings, but it had been obvious that it wasn't something he had wanted to deal with.

She had known since that day he first kissed her that he felt _something_ for her, whether he liked it or not. Hinata had also believed initially that it was little more than emotional dependency. However, after talking to Naruto when she had given her report the thought had been dismissed. He had explained to her that out of all the females he had ever encountered – and all of them wanting him – _she_ had been the one he had reacted the most to and it had finally come out when the confinement had become too much.

Hinata had never been so terrified in her life when she had walked in to him destroying his bedroom, dark eyes unfocused and screaming. After that she had all but _demanded_ in her report that he be allowed to go out and do things, assassins be damned.

"_Don't leave me."_

Those words were what made her ask for the extension. It initially had nothing to do with her personal feelings for him – which had been and still were conflicted – and everything to do with the fact that he had asked. He had wanted her to stay so she stayed.

When she saw him shift from her peripheral , he was looking dead at her. She was barely able to stop herself from jumping at the scrutiny. As it was, his dark gaze reminded her of the way he had looked earlier and she was sure she was as red as a tomato at this point.

"You lied to Sakura." His expression was hard and unyielding; he was searching for something.

"I..." biting her lip, she shook her head "I didn't lie...but I will admit I didn't tell her everything. Why I'm here...that was true. You seemed to need me here so I stayed. But –" her fist rested along her heart "T-there were other reasons. For a while, a-after the bet I think is when it started."

Seeing him like that had been devastating. There had been so many times that her cousin had gone through the same torture and it never got easier to see. Neji would never know it but those times when he would be punished she had always been the one to nurse him back to health. She would put his head in her lap and do the techniques the branch members had taught her for helping with the headaches. Had he been conscious at the time he would have flat out rejected her but she had hated sitting by and doing nothing.

Hinata didn't know what about that day had made her request an extension, she had just felt the drive and so had done what her gut had been telling her. The night when he broke down was the night she finally realized just what her feelings were; but then that had made everything complicated and confusing so she had tried to ignore it. He had been, so why not her?

"What started?" he was still looking at her.

"I started...liking you."

His reaction was to tense, eyes widening slightly. His lips parted briefly before he turned his gaze back to the sky. He seemed to be taking in her words and after a moment he frowned "You don't act like you did with Naruto around me when you liked him." It sounded more like an accusation than an observation and she recalled his bout of jealousy earlier. He seemed so much like a disgruntled child she had to turn away or he'd see the small smile that emerged.

"Um, that's because you're not Naruto-kun." Her tone had been light but apparently it had somehow offended him because he looked angry instead of thoughtful.

"Yeah." his voice was hard and flat "Sorry, I've never exactly been a big ball of sunshine." When she actually started giggling – she couldn't help it at that point – he glared down at her. "What the hell is so funny?" he definitely sounded irritated although his face was slightly red from embarrassment.

Putting a hand to her mouth politely, she looked up at him while still giggling "You're jealous."

A look of surprise graced the Uchiha's features and he turned his head away. He crossed his arms. "I'm _not_ jealous." He insisted and shot her a side glare when she continued giggling.

He was, but she wasn't going to rub it in. "What I mean is that I can't like you two the same because you're different people with different personalities. I...would think that you wouldn't _want_ me feeling for you what I feel for Naruto-kun."

"Whatever." He snapped, which was usually his answer when he didn't have an answer or when he didn't want to admit someone had a point. But it also meant that he had understood and accepted her explanation, which was good. Or was it?

_Oh...wait, what am I thinking?_

"Hinata." His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she took in his expression. It was a mixture of emotions that she grouped in him being uncertain of...probably everything. "I still don't understand any of this," he frowned. "I'm just tired of fighting."

She understood the underlying message and nodded. It left a lot of questions up in the air and the answers would only bring about a hundred more. "Sasuke-san, what do you want?" because that was what was really important.

"You." He said it without hesitation, his gaze intense. "That's it. I've gone over it a million times in my head and every conclusion goes back to what...what I said to you earlier." He tensed, looking highly uncomfortable. "You belong with me."

It had taken a lot for him to admit to that, she knew. Silence stretched as she tried to struggle with her thoughts and feelings. It was so much to take in all at once and all she knew was that she had liked him but had been trying not to think about it. Everything else was completely up in the air.

"But it's not that simple." His voice echoed her exact thoughts. "Even if you...even if we...tch." he sounded frustrated "There's your clan, _Tsunade_," he said her name as if it were something vile. "and the entire village that would be against it."

Mention of her clan made her frown as she recalled their reactions to her extending her time with the Uchiha "The clan...some of the elders actually...wanted me to um..." she began to poke her fingers together "seduce you."

Sasuke stared at her with barely concealed shock before it melted into a scowl. "I should have known. Our clans were at the top and were borderline hostile to each other. You have a sister, so sacrifice the older daughter for a chance to finally have us under their thumb."

"Yes." She had been appalled when they had presented it to her and surprisingly, her father had been the one to deny it. His reasons were still unclear but he neither encouraged nor discouraged her desires to continue the mission. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" it came out tersely but she knew it wasn't directed at her. "If your clan doesn't care and the Hokage doesn't care..." he trailed off and both shifted uncomfortably, avoiding gazes.

If they didn't care, they could be together...except neither one of them knew if that was what the other wanted and if it was, then what? He was still a prisoner unless he decided to become a Konoha shinobi and more than likely there would be a high up battle to remove her from the mission. Tsunade was strongly against it and the council was backing her.

He was right about the entire village being against it as well. She didn't even want to count the number of people that had approached her about her decision, her team mates especially. Hinata had ended up saying countless of times that her decision hadn't been because she held some sort of deep feelings for him...which had been true...at the time.

Not so much now.

The two loudest had been Ino and Sakura, but that had been unsurprising since they had both loved him for a long time. Sakura was somewhat bitter – or at least that's what Hinata was picking up – and Ino saw her as a threat for Sasuke's attention. The strangest part about it was that the Hyuuga was almost positive it wasn't genuine. There was something about the way Ino acted and reacted that made her feel like Ino was just trying to hang on to something. What, she had no idea, but she wasn't in love with Sasuke, not in the slightest.

"_Why_ don't _you love me?"_ the thought made her frown, because she honestly wasn't sure if she loved him or not. Only six months with them together like this had passed and while they had been comfortable yet trying, she had not been unhappy. She knew a bit about him from what he had shown her, but she didn't really know him or about him.

"Sasuke-san," when he turned to look at her she mentally steeled herself once again "I...I don't know if I love you," his reaction was only to blink so she continued "but I...I do like you. It's just...I don't _know _you."

He leaned back a bit at her statement, looking thoughtful. When he said nothing she decided to keep going, even though she didn't really know what she was saying entirely. "I've only seen bits and pieces in these past almost seven months and everything else is what people have told me. I don't...I don't want to wonder from afar." Not anymore. She had done that with Naruto and she didn't want to be like that anymore. Although it didn't pain her any longer she knew if she had been more assertive or had tried harder to come out of her shell she might have had a chance with Naruto. Maybe.

"There's not much to tell." His voice sounded guarded and she shook her head.

"N-not about your past...I mean..." she really wished she was better with words "What do you like? What don't you like? Um, what are your hobbies...things about _you_ as a person, not your past. I won't...that's not something I will ever ask you about."

Sasuke continued to stare at her for a moment before speaking. "I like onigiri and tomatoes. I hate a lot of things; _especially_ anything sweet. My hobbies are what I do every day; training and taking walks." He looked away "Everything else is questionable. The _only_ thing I've been able to determine about what I want to do with my life is..." he trailed off but she understood. He wanted her to be a part of his life but was it even possible?

"They'll remove me from the mission if they feel I've been compromised." It wasn't something she needed to say as they both knew that, but saying it made it real. "They'll think you'll try to use me to escape."

A pause. "Do you think I'm using you?"

"No." she made sure to look into his eyes when she said it, knowing that he was insecure when it came to her and her feelings for him. "I've never thought that."

His posture seemed to relax slightly at that. "I wanted to escape," he admitted "I still do." She remained silent since his tone implied that he wasn't done. "But I can't and I'm not dumb enough to try. Even if I did, what would I do? Where would I go? It's over, all of it, there's nothing left for me. Leaving won't make my life any less meaningless."

"Sasuke..."

"It all comes back to you." He cut in and she winced, looking away at the harshness of his tone. "My life...has _become_ you. Nothing else has any meaning and I don't know whether to be angry or..."

"I-I'm sorry." Her chest felt tight and she blinked back tears. So then it was what she had figured, he liked her but he didn't _want_ to like her. She had been silly for thinking differently. Hinata didn't believe Sakura's words about Sasuke being unable to love – that was extreme and impossible. Emotions weren't something one can escape from, not even Sai.

When he noticed her expression he went as if to move forward, hesitated and turned to walk inside. "Come on, the trees have eyes."

Confused, she followed numbly. It wasn't until they were fully in the living room and away from any doors or windows that he moved, pinning her against the wall suddenly. Her eyes widened as he pressed his body against her as he had earlier, his fingers raising her chin to meet his gaze. Even in the darkness his eyes were bright and intense.

"I told you, I don't want to fight it anymore." His voice was low, as if he was afraid someone was listening in. "I want you." Lips brushed along hers lightly and his hand cupped her cheek. "You belong with me; I wouldn't be able to stand it if you ended up with someone else."

"S-speaking of that..." she resisted the urge to lick her lips when his were centimeters from hers. "there...there isn't anyone –"

He snorted, leaning back to her relief and disappointment. "I know that. I realized it after I calmed down." Sasuke frowned. "I'll have to make a deal with Naruto if I'm going to have you." At her stunned expression his eyes narrowed. "I'm _not_ going to become a shinobi for this village...but...I'm not going to leave. I can't." he said the last part so low she almost didn't catch it but it made her heart race all the same.

Leaning forward, he pressed their foreheads together, a wry smirk playing on his lips. "Do you even want me, Hinata?"

Once again it was asked softly and she had ended up having to strain to hear and decipher it. When she did her face heated to epic proportions, because she fully understood what he wanted and what he meant.

"I don't..." her breaths were shaky. "P-please don't...don't do this if you don't...I mean you –"

"You don't get it, do you?" he pulled back to look at her and his expression was so...open. He almost looked as if he were pleading with her to understand what he couldn't say. It was the first time he had done this without being angry or stressed.

_Don't you get what you mean to me?_ Was what was underneath the question and she found herself unable to meet his gaze. Although they had been slip ups, he had made it clear that she was extremely important to him. It was easy to forget that he held a serious emotional dependency with her because of his attitude.

Hinata was convinced that Sakura was wrong. Sasuke _could_ love and feel other intense emotions, he just didn't show it. Perhaps he didn't even know how. He said he was tired of fighting his feelings and Sasuke seemed to do things in extremes. He gave it his all regardless of what it was and that was probably the reason he was going to go so far with this.

Still, she felt so conflicted. She did like Sasuke, but she wasn't sure if it was intense as his feelings for her. His feelings were mostly driven by the fact that she was the only constant in his life he wanted, so there was a bit of obsession involved. What if things didn't work out? They were so completely different, what if they truly got to know each other only to discover they couldn't stand one another?

Apparently, he took her silence as a rejection, for he pulled away from her, his posture and expression guarded. For a moment confusion and frustration was obvious but then he shook his head and turned his back to her. "Alright." His hands clenched into fists at his side but he refused to look at her. "I'm not going to push myself on you." He began to walk away and she panicked, reaching out and grabbing his sleeve.

"Sasuke I..." he was looking at her again but he was hiding his feelings from her now. "I just...w-what if you get to know me and you decide that...you hate me? Or that I wasn't what you thought? T-to do something this big for something like this –"

"I've already tried to hate you." He cut in. "It hasn't been working this past year so I doubt it ever will." Sasuke smirked. "And I'm pretty positive there's not too much more I could learn about you that would make me see you differently. You're not really a difficult person to understand."

Why did she want to feel offended? "W-well..."

Sighing, he turned to fully face her, looking exasperated. "Look, let's make this simple, do you want to be with me or not? I know what I want and like I said, I've given this a lot of thought. I have _nothing_ but time and I don't have a life; I'm actually doing myself a favor."

They squared off and Hinata mulled over his words. He made good points and she knew that he really hated living in the house. They could also be free to see each other if they wanted.

"There's just one thing." His look was stern. "No one else needs to know. If they find out, whatever, but the more people know the more they'll think I'm just trying to use or manipulate you. It'll be a constant and annoying battle and I really just want to be left the hell alone."

That wasn't disappointing, because she didn't really want to go broadcasting their relationship...wait, did she just...?

_Am I...really going to...be with him?_ That was when it hit her. This wasn't any person, this was Uchiha Sasuke. She had actually fallen for him and he seriously wanted to be with her. This person who had done so much and hurt so many people; was she seriously considering being with him?

The Uchiha shifted uncomfortably and when he spoke again she realized she must have revealed her thoughts in her expression. "I don't...have anything to offer you." He looked over at the far wall. "I'm not well liked and being with me would make your life difficult." His frown turned into resignation. "Say no if you want, because I can't give you any promises. All I have are these feelings that I'm tired of fighting." _That's all I can give you._

"Is that...all?" she looked down. "You're doing this because you're tired of fighting?"

"Should there be another reason?" he gave her a confused frown. "It doesn't change the fact that I have these feelings, just that I'm not denying them anymore. If you want something deep and heartfelt sorry, but that's not me."

Despite his gruff tone she found herself smiling. "I, um, thought you were very deep and heartfelt earlier."

He blinked at her in surprise and then turned his gaze away, embarrassed. "Answer the damn question, Hyuuga."

Fighting the urge to giggle – she was positive he wouldn't appreciate it at all – Hinata took a deep mental breath. His past was sketchy and he wasn't exactly a good person. He hated the village but yet was willing to do what it took to be with her here. For her, he was willing to change just a bit. Hinata could fully relate and understand wanting to change oneself for whatever reason.

So she looked up at him and waited until he met her gaze before answering. "Alright. Yes, I want to be with you."


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I am running out of buffers for this fic, so once chapter 11 is up, that'll be it until I can focus on updates again.

For those who possibly have ALL of my fics on their alerts, you'll probably see this message a few times. I apologize. Any important updates related to the fic will be up top.

So, I've been silent for a little bit. There's a reason for this. I've been trying to get my novels published and finally, after a lot of hard work, networking, and what have you, I've accomplished my lifelong dream.

I am now an _author_ with Silver Publishing. My novel, _Destined_ was accepted. There are no words to express how I feel about this beyond "Excited as fucking hell." There will be more on my profile, for those interested, but the bottom line is that fanfiction will be taking a back seat for a bit while I go through editing. I have a lot of work ahead of me. **I am not giving up on fanfiction.** But it doesn't pay the bills, and it certainly isn't _mine_, unlike my own works. Just expect really, really, _really_ slow updates.

I hope you guys who love my fanfiction will give my novel a try and thank you all so much for your patience so far. I appreciate it.

xxxxx

10

xxxxx

As much as he hated the village and everything about it; looking out at it through the top floor of the empty apartment complex and seeing wide open space as opposed to the small confines of his house – prison – was a sight he could actually appreciate. Already he felt a thousand times less claustrophobic than he had before coming here.

Sasuke stood on the balcony, dark eyes taking in the scene before him with a neutral expression. His thoughts, however, were anything but stagnant.

"_Yes, I want to be with you."_

Although he probably shouldn't, hearing those words gave him mixed feelings and happiness was not one of them. He put his hands on the banister, mind racing with confusion. When he sensed a familiar chakra signal he inclined his head, eyes narrowing. "Come to check up on me?"

"Aw, don't be like that, bastard." The Hokage crossed his arms as he walked out to join the Uchiha. Blue eyes took him in "They give you the rundown?"

He nodded. "I can only go out at night, I'm restricted to certain areas without an escort, I still can't leave the village, blah, blah, blah." He waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Basically, I got limited citizenship."

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't do more; it had been a pain just getting this much."

The Uchiha shrugged. "It's better than living in that box."

Silence followed but it seemed as if Naruto was waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, the blonde gave him a look. "What about Hinata?"

Something hard twisted in his gut and he avoided the Hokage's gaze. "What about her?" What was he supposed to say?

He was given a funny look. "I thought the entire reason you were doing this was because you wanted to be with her." He frowned "You weren't just saying that...?"

"No." Sasuke continued to look out over the village. "I just..." scowling, he put his hand through his hair, absolutely frustrated. There were too many thoughts going on in his head about her and he was tired of holding it all in. He looked up at the sky. "I hate this." He admitted and Naruto's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" he sounded confused and worried. "You trying to say –"

"I don't know _what_ I'm saying." The brunette snapped. "It's been a year since I was brought here and ever since I've met her she's had some sort of weird affect on me one way or another. I fought it, denied it, and eventually broke down. I'm tired of fighting it, but that doesn't mean I _like_ it."

Admitting that he had feelings for Hinata had done little to end his confusion. If anything, other emotions began to come in and hardly any of them were positive. He knew he wanted to be with her, but it wasn't as if he had any real control over his feelings. If he had, he wouldn't have allowed her to get so close to him emotionally. He was at odds with himself and was glad that he had been able to get a few days away from her to try and calm down and find his bearings.

"_Love isn't something you want, it's just something that happens."_

"I don't want to be in love with her." He said finally and the blonde stared at him in wide eyed shock. Sasuke didn't really know what he was saying; but he needed to voice his thoughts and feelings to _someone_, because he certainly wasn't able to make any sense out of it. "I don't want to be in love with _anyone_."

Raising his hand, he looked at it blandly. He clenched his fist. "Everything I love, dies."

And there it was. He now finally understood why he honestly didn't want to have feelings for her. He had them, he knew that, but had he the choice he'd shrug them off like an old jacket and walk away.

"Sasuke..."the brunette didn't look at the blonde, knowing that if he did he'd see sadness and pity and he didn't want it.

"Revenge had been my goal, the one thing I had lived for from the time I was seven years old. It had been _all_ that I lived for. It was something I could _control_. There's no controlling this and I don't want it. I don't _want_ to fall in love or be in love with anyone for any reason because it's just going to get ripped from me eventually anyway."

He felt so exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally; he wished once again that Naruto had left him dead because living was...

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto grasp something hanging off his neck. A pendant. "You know," his voice was low and there was a sad smile on his face. "The person who gave me this...everyone she had loved had died too. When she gave the pendant to them it was like it was cursed, because they died shortly after.

"She had closed off her heart too and probably for the same reasons. It's hard to want to love again when it's taken away from you; it's easier to run from our fears than to face them." He sighed. "But you know what? I made her a promise, the same promise they had made to her, and she gave it a chance; gave _me_ a chance."

The Hokage grinned. "I promised her I'd become Hokage, so I couldn't die before then." He held up the pendant. "I'm still here years later and I kept my promise." Blue eyes turned to the view of the village. "Life's a gamble, you know? Bad or good, I think the point is that we're supposed to _live_. Maybe it'll end in sadness, maybe it'll end in you being the happiest you've ever been. But you won't know until you try."

When Sasuke continued to remain silent, Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Hinata's...she's a really great person. Hell, she's amazing if she's actually going to put up with _you._" He ignored the dark glare shot his way. "Some things are worth the risk."

The response Naruto got surprised him. "You asked me once if I had ever had feelings for Sakura," Sasuke's gaze was impassive as he focused on the blonde. "Did you even try to return Hinata's feelings?" He wasn't sure why he was asking it, only that it felt important to know.

His surprise quickly turned into guilt and he looked away. "I think...maybe..." he sighed. "Maybe if she had said something years ago, I dunno. When she finally confessed, my feelings for Sakura had been..." he trailed off and the Uchiha didn't push it; didn't want to.

"I don't even know if I love her; I just know that I want her to be with me." The Uchiha shook his head. "What does that even mean?" He didn't even know what he was supposed to _do_; he had no idea how to be a boyfriend. He had a general understanding of how to please a woman sexually – albeit reluctantly – but having an actual relationship? The last 'relationship' he had allowed himself to have had been with his old teammates and he had shrugged that off years ago.

"No one's gonna force you to do this." Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "If you really feel like that maybe you should hold back a bit. Hinata's a really nice girl; I was all for this because I want you two to be happy, but I don't want her to get hurt. I mean, the council already believes you're here because you want to cooperate and not be at the house anymore. No one knows about your relationship with Hinata..."

"No." he shook his head. "There's a lot of things I don't know or I'm confused about; but the one thing I do know is that..." _She belongs with me._ "Losing her through death or by her being with someone else...it's the same." She would still no longer be in his life, would no longer be a part of it. Despite his doubts he knew there was no turning back. He had her, he wasn't going to let her go.

"So her ending up with another guy is worse than her dying so decided to bite the bullet?" the blonde looked at him as if he were a bit off his rocker. "You're a real jealous fella, aren't you?"

The Uchiha bristled at the accusation. "I'm _not_ jeal...you know what?" when the other male started laughing he briefly contemplated strangling him. "You're an idiot."

"So what you're saying," he said between chuckles. "Is that even though you got doubts and fears and stuff you think she's worth the risk." He gave the brunette a sly look. "Since it's not you being _jealous_ or anything..."

Taken aback, Sasuke realized the trap he had just walked into and scowled, looking away. "I guess." Because he _refused_ to admit that he was jealous over Hinata concerning anything. Jealousy was for insecure idiots and he had no reason to be insecure nor was he an idiot. "I'm here, aren't I? I'm not going to fight my feelings, even if they make me uneasy." He scowled. "The question is whether or not _she_ sticks around."

"Hmm...you got a point there..." the blonde held up his hands in a pacifying gesture when Sasuke took a threatening step towards him. "I'm just saying! I mean, despite what the fangirls think, you're not exactly Prince Charming."

"Go to hell."

Laughing, Naruto leaned back a bit. "You want me to give you some advice on dating?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Like I'd really need _your_ help with something like that." He did, but his pride would not allow him to sink so low as to ask _Naruto_ for advice on girls. He'd never be able to call himself a man again.

Blue eyes rolled. "Whatever, you say, bastard." He paused. "Compliments."

"What?" the brunette blinked.

He was given a huge grin. "Girls like compliments. Like, even when they look horrible you tell them they look beautiful and they'll love you forever."

"That's...the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Sasuke muttered. "I thought girls didn't like it when you lied to them."

The blonde snorted. "_That's_ a lie. Not on important things, sure, but anything you know she'll _want_ to hear, lie if you gotta. Trust me, life will be much easier if you do. Oh yeah!" he snapped his fingers. "Be spontaneous!"

The Uchiha was obviously confused. "What are you talking about? Spontaneous?"

"Yeah! I mean like... just do random sweet stuff like buy her something, take her someplace romantic, cook dinner or whatever. Girls really like that stuff."

"...You've been reading and writing too many of those porn books." Sasuke looked skeptical. "You sound just as cheesy and corny as them." There was absolutely no way he was going to do some stuff like that and make himself look like a fool.

Another sly look emerged. "How would you know if they're corny and cheesy if you don't read them?"

Sasuke started, face beginning to burn. He looked away again. "It's not like people don't talk about those dumb books or anything. What I heard sounded stupid, that's all."

"Uh huh." Naruto decided to cut his old teammate a break, especially since he was beginning to look murderous in his embarrassment. "_Anyway_, last thing but most important. I know this is gonna be _real_ hard for you –"

It wasn't until he opened his mouth that he realized he had once again walked into a trap. Damned automatic reactions. "Anything _you_ can do, I can do twice as good."

"Be affectionate." His grin went practically from ear to ear when the Uchiha paled; staring at Naruto as if he were some sort of ghost. "And I _don't_ mean sex, although that's always good too." It was obvious he was enjoying making the arrogant brunette uncomfortable. "Hugs, holding hands, kis-sing." He dragged the last word out, elbowing the other male. "All that really _mushy_ stuff that you always complained about when it came to girls."

"No." he shook his head. "There's no way I'm doing that crap. Absolutely not." He couldn't even believe there were guys that actually _did_ that stuff. Sasuke didn't even consider the make-out session that had transpired between them to even fall into those categories; mostly because he had wanted sex. Plain and simple. He had wanted her, had desired her for months prior. He didn't consider trying to have sex with someone as 'affectionate'. Not in the way Naruto was describing it.

Unfortunately, there was probably no way he'd make another attempt. One, he had done so while he had been seriously stressed out; there was no way he could do that now. Two, having her faint right in the middle had been..._frustrating_. He had taken care of it – a cold shower wouldn't have done a thing – but it had still been upsetting. That was not something he wanted a repeat performance of.

The blonde sighed as if he were dealing with a troublesome child. It made Sasuke want to hit him. "Dude just remember that if you don't it, someone else _will._ Hinata's a pretty girl; I bet if she wanted she could have a bunch of guys trying to sweep her off her feet."

"They can _try_." He muttered low under his breath. "Whatever. Obviously, she hasn't been turned off by me yet and I haven't exactly been all that nice."

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever you say, bastard." He pulled back a sleeve "Anyway, I better get going; I promised Sakura I'd be home soon. "

"Tch." Sasuke scowled. "You sound completely whipped."

The blonde's laugh made him feel uneasy, as if he knew something he didn't. When he reached the door he stopped, looked at Sasuke and then chuckled again, shaking his head. "You poor, poor bastard." The door closed with a soft click leaving the Uchiha wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into.

xxxxx

Awkward was the best term to describe his current situation.

Damn that Naruto for putting all of that _garbage_ into his head. This would have been awkward regardless as he truly had _no idea_ concerning how to be an actual boyfriend, but it was even more now with everything they had talked about.

Hinata had arrived shortly after Naruto had left through the balcony, as being seen entering through the front would look suspicious. Like before his breath caught and his heart did that funny thing whenever she was around and with the blonde's words fresh in his mind, he found his face heating to his complete annoyance. He hated acting so ridiculous around her. He wasn't a kid, he shouldn't be reacting like this.

He took in the plastic bags she was holding curiously, causing her to blush prettily at the scrutiny. "I um..." she looked down and he found himself wanting to walk up to her and...well he wasn't entirely sure, only that he wanted to do something...affectionate.

_Naruto wasn't serious about all that crap was he?_ There was no way.

"May I use your kitchen?" she asked politely, raising the bags a bit. "I was thinking maybe I could...cook dinner?" she looked down again and he felt a little more relaxed seeing that she felt just as awkward as he did.

"Yeah." He pointed his thumb behind him. "It's over there." He felt...so stupid. What happened to all of his bravado a few days ago? Of course, he had been a little emotional at the time, which had made him react strangely. Being allowed his freedom had calmed him considerably although his feelings for her were the same.

He was still unsure and uncertain about things and there was a deep rooted fear building within him at allowing someone to affect him so closely again. Anything could happen to her and then he'd have to go through the pain of losing someone he loved all over again...

Wait. He didn't _love_ her, not really. He _liked_ her, he admitted that much, but love?

_Who am I kidding?_ He thought miserably as he watched her back from the distance. _She's the first girl I've ever had feelings for and I'm doing all of this for her. If it's not love it's something close to it._

Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt about that besides vulnerable. Weak, even. He had shed off all his weaknesses in the past and now here he was, fully welcoming another one into his world.

_She's just going to die eventually..._ Eventually she would be ripped from him, they always were. Now he felt stupid but for a completely different reason.

"_Some things are worth the risk."_

He really hoped so; it'd make him feel less like he was making one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

With Naruto's words about girls and relationships bouncing around in his head he found himself walking over towards the threshold of his kitchen to watch Hinata. His apartment wasn't very big; in fact it looked almost exactly like his old apartment before he had left the village. A couch, television, bedroom with a joint bathroom. There was a small room he guessed was for guests – it was more like a closet, really – and another bathroom outside of his bedroom. The kitchen was somewhat closed off with one wall that was opened like a bar towards the living room.

It hadn't taken her long to find pots and pans and his little home quickly began to fill with the delicious scents of her cooking. Leaning against the frame he regarded her for a moment, taking in her long dark hair and the way she hummed to herself. Hinata reminded him so much of his mother it was almost painful at times.

Feeling a little odd, he closed the distance, trying to dismiss Naruto's words and failing. Would she really like it if he said and did stupid mushy things? The notion was ridiculous and he had no idea why he would even make an attempt; she seemed to like him just fine as he was.

"_If you don't, someone else _will."

_Damn you, Naruto._ The thought of her getting swept off her feet by another, more sensitive guy was too much. Face red, he awkwardly put his hands on her shoulders, making her jump. Her eyes flew up to him as she turned, an action that made her press against his front. Her face flushed with red and he forced himself to look nonchalant despite his obvious embarrassment.

"Hey." He looked at what she was making. "What's that you're –" his dark gaze flickered to white and he started. Now all he could think about was how soft she felt and how pretty she looked to him.

He hadn't even realized he had kissed her until he felt her arms wrap around his neck as she turned to face him. His arms wrapped around her slender frame, dark eyes hooded as his lips moved over hers. Hands slid up her back and he pulled her close, taking in the taste of something sweet as tongues slowly moved against each other. Sasuke briefly wondered what it was she ate all the time that made her taste sweet. He didn't actually mind it, he was just curious.

Backing her up into the counter his hand moved into her hair, enjoying the feel of silky strands. Everything about her felt good and natural and the feelings that moved through him weren't entirely sexual in nature.

_What is this girl doing to me?_

Pulling back, he kept his arms around her and hesitated before speaking. "You...uh...look really..." he sighed in irritation. He was definitely going to murder the hokage if he was wrong about this. "Pretty."

The Uchiha had fully expected to get laughed at or given a funny look. Instead, she blinked owlishly, her face turning an interesting shade of red, and looked away from him. She was smiling, although it was obvious his words were very embarrassing. Feeling foolish and embarrassed himself, he began to pull back fully. "Sorry." He muttered. That damn idiot; he had probably said all that crap so that he'd make a fool of himself.

"Oh...n-no I just..." she put her hands to her face and continued to avoid his gaze. "N-no one has ever s-said I was..."

His surprise was genuine. "No one?" even before he had realized his feelings for her he had thought she was pretty. Not beautiful, as he was beginning to think, and not average, but definitely not ugly. So that meant that she was pleased by the compliment? Should he...give her another? Or maybe...

_This is so stupid!_ This was all so incredibly _frustrating_ and moronic and he really wanted to...

"Th...thank you." Her soft words brought him out of his thoughts. "Sasuke-kun."

At least he was already red, so that she didn't notice how her finally addressing him less formally affected him. A part of him felt excited that she was finally treating him the way she had treated others; she had always kept him at an emotional distance and he could admit now that it had upset him. Sasuke had felt childish about it but he had wanted her to treat him like the others as well, he had wanted to feel as if he meant something to her. He knew the reason why now, although at the time he had been confused.

"Yeah." He resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head like a certain blonde idiot. "I'll...let you get back to cooking."

She gave him a small and demure smile that warmed her eyes and made him feel funny. "Okay."

He walked out to the living room, feeling weird. He felt embarrassed, happy, frustrated, confused and a little afraid. It hadn't been much but she had still been very happy about his compliment which did make him feel good but it also meant that she was only affecting his heart even more now.

The closer he became to her the more vulnerable he'd become. The easier it would be for him to get hurt again. But chasing her away was out of the question, he had done it once before...

_Wait._

He stopped moving, standing in the middle of the room as dark purple flashed in his mind's eye. Just now he had remembered something from a very long time ago; a year after the clan massacre. With his excellent memory he was quickly able to conjure it up and wondered how he could have actually forgotten that encounter almost ten years back.

"_Otousan...okaasan...everyone..." he was sitting at the edge of the lake, his face buried in his arms. Even after a year he still couldn't stop crying whenever he thought about them. The images from Itachi's Tsukuyomi haunted him whenever he closed his eyes or slept. He would constantly hear their screams and pleas, see their lifeless eyes._

'_Why?' he thought not for the first or last time. 'Aniki I don't understand...I don't...'_

_There was nothing left but a huge gaping hole where his heart had been and he knew it would never be filled again. He was so alone, so lonely. He would do anything to see his father's stern stare or feel his mother's arms around him again. His nightmares were constant and yet when he'd awaken there would be nothing. No one would come to ask if he was alright, no one would hug him and tell him everything would be okay._

_It would never be okay again. Everyone who looked at him now did so with pity and sadness and he hated it, hated them. He didn't want their pity and their sadness was garbage. They didn't understand his pain at all; they were all probably thinking it was good that it hadn't happened to them. They were all so fake, none of them really cared about him, especially not those stupid girls that fawned over him. His family had been the only ones who had cared and loved him and they were all dead._

_He could hear his mother begging for his brother to spare them, spare her, and could only helplessly watch as she was ruthlessly cut down just as everyone else had been. There had been no hesitation in his brother's swing, no remorse. Over and over the images he had been forced to relive pounded into his mind until he thought he was going to go insane._

'_Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone. Please come back.'_

_The boy jerked when he heard something off in the distance. Quickly, he rubbed at his face, trying to hide his tears. Anger quickly replaced sadness at the intruder. "Who's there?" he demanded. If it was one of those silly girls following him he was definitely going to give them a piece of his mind. He wasn't in the mood for it today._

_What emerged from the bushes surprised him. It was a young girl, from his class even, and she looked just as surprised to see him. She was wearing a dark purple shinobi ensemble that matched the color of her hair, and her white eyes were filled with tears._

_White eyes... "You're a Hyuuga." His eyes narrowed, waiting for her to start squealing or something equally annoying like all the other girls did._

_He was surprised again when she wiped at her own face, looking away. "I-I'm sorry I...I didn't know anyone would be here..."_

"_Why are you crying?" he wasn't sure why he was asking, he didn't even know this girl. She didn't seem to be one of his many admirers so maybe that was it._

_The question had her eyes filling with tears once more. "O-otousan..."_

_Something hard ripped through his stomach at the mention of her father. She was crying, maybe something had happened? "Is he dead?" for him, it was the only logical reason he could think of._

"_N-no I just..." she shook her head, hiccupping as she looked down at the ground. "I keep failing him..."_

_The sensation increased and he began to feel sick to his stomach. His own father had never seemed very impressed with him in comparison to aniki. There had been many times when he had also felt like a failure because he hadn't been at Itachi's level of skill when he had been that age._

_Then his chest began to feel tight and anger bubbled through him. At least she had a father, a family. "Stop crying!" he snapped at her and she jumped, eyes wide. "If you don't want to fail him then don't! Train harder and stop feeling sorry for yourself!" He realized he was saying the same words to her that he told himself every day and looked away. The hot feeling increased for the more he thought about his father the more vivid the memories of his death became._

"_If you want...to make him happy then do it..." his head felt dizzy and his stomach felt as if it was going to explode. "Because one day you could wake up and...it'll all be gone."_

_Images becoming overwhelming, he found himself on all fours as he began to empty the contents of his stomach into the lake itself. He was vaguely aware of her making a small noise and then nothing. Fresh tears burned hot behind his eyelids and he fought to keep them at bay as his stomach quivered and lurched a few more times._

_He had been coughing when he felt something warm begin to rub along his back and through his hair. From the corner of his eye he saw dark purple as the girl kneeled beside him. Slowly he looked up at her through red rimmed eyes. She looked very nervous and unsure._

"_My...okaasan used to do this when I...wasn't feeling good." She explained and he noticed the bottle of water in her other hand. The short haired girl gave him a small, nervous smile. "S-she would sing and tell me 'It's okay Hinata-chan, everything will be fine and you'll feel better real soon.' It...i-it always made me feel better. S-so...I..." she offered the bottle of water. "I hope you'll feel better real soon. I hope...things will get better."_

_The boy stared at her in shock. No one had ever approached him like this girl had. Her sorrow and sympathy – not pity – was sincere. She was afraid and nervous but she still...for him..._

_His face began to heat as he really looked at the girl for the first time. She had large white eyes, pale skin and a gentle smile. Her smile reminded him of his mother and he looked down at the bottle of water, a small smile emerging. Even though he wouldn't feel better and it wouldn't be okay; she was the first person to say those words and mean them. _

_As he reached for the water bottle he looked back up at her. She was actually really pretty and all of a sudden he felt his heart start to beat really fast. This girl was so nice and maybe..._

_Fear gripped him as he realized what he was beginning to feel. No! Never again! He made a promise, an oath. Anyone who became close to him would just end up dying. This girl had to go away, he didn't want to have anything to do with her._

"_Don't touch me!" he flung his arm out, slapping the bottle of water out of her hand. She felt back on her bottom and he stood, glaring down at her. "Where do you get off anyway? Get out of here! Get lost!"_

_She cried out, her hands flying to her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion._

"_I said leave!" he shouted it at her and she staggered up to her feet, tears in her eyes. "Don't ever come near me again! The sight of you makes me sick! Just go!"_

_He fell down to his knees when she finally ran out of his line of sight, his dark gaze taking in the bottle of water she had no doubt ran to get from the nearby vending machine. Slowly, he reached for it but then stopped himself. No, he needed to harden his heart and that meant he would forget about her and this incident. Never again would he allow someone to get close to him._

Ten years had passed since that day; he wondered if Hinata even remembered it. Probably not, he certainly hadn't until just now. He had gone out of his way to avoid and ignore her after that and eventually he had become so consumed with revenge he had forgotten all about the brief emotions he'd held for the shy girl. She had been the first and only girl he had ever had a crush on – even then.

What did that mean, now that they were together? Even back then he had been cruel to her and now that he thought about it, he had done it for the same reasons. The last time he had chased her away, would he end up doing it again?

Naruto's words began to return and a different sort of fear seized him. What if she didn't die but he pushed her away and she went into the arms of another guy? What if _he_ became the reason he lost her? He had lost one of the most important people to him because of his own ignorance and actions and that feeling...he _never_ wanted to feel like that again. It still hurt badly and would until he died.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" Hinata's startled cry was cut short when he briskly closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hard kiss; his arms tight around her body.

He was still incredibly confused and afraid of many things; but the thought of losing her was something he couldn't abide by. Good or bad, she was his and he wasn't going to let her go; he didn't care what he had to do.

Pulling back, he framed her face in his hands. "Hinata, stay with me tonight."

He might lose her through death but it certainly wasn't going to happen because he had been being an idiot. That was one mistake he would _not_ repeat.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Heavy citrus in this one. You've been warned.

xxxxx

11

xxxxx

"Eh?" Hinata blinked up at her boyfriend, taking in the serious gleam in his dark eyes, the firm set of his lips and jaw. He looked completely different from just a few minutes ago. Before, he had looked awkward and uncomfortable, now he looked determined and focused.

He was so confusing to her at times; she didn't get his thought processes at all. Maybe he didn't always understand his thought processes; he was usually in a constant state of confusion. She watched as the corners of his lips twitched upward, amused at her wide eyed response.

"Stay with me tonight." He repeated and when she turned a few shades of red he frowned for a moment, not understanding, before he blinked. Then his face began to heat and he looked away but did not release his hold on her. Interesting, he had been weird about that just a minute ago. "Not...not like _that_." He muttered. "Just..." _Now_ he looked uncomfortable and shifted.

"Hinata..." Sasuke looked at a complete loss as to what he wanted to say. No, that wasn't it...he seemed to know what he wanted to say, he simply was too embarrassed to say it.

_You don't have to push yourself._ She thought; finally understanding. Her smile was warm "Sasuke-kun, you don't have to –"

"Tell me what I have to do to keep you." He blurted out and white eyes blinked up at him again.

"Eh?" although she was still confused, her face began to burn even more at the blunt statement. "What...I don't..." What was he saying that for all of a sudden?

"Look I just..." he scowled at her, as if she was the one at fault for his frustration for not being psychic and making him say the words aloud. "I don't...have anyone else. I know I'm not nice or cheerful or romantic. I don't even know why you like me; I've never been nice to you.

"You're not just the first girl I've ever liked; you're..." he hesitated, looking uncomfortable before steeling himself. "You're the first person I've let get this close to me since the massacre. Not Naruto, not Sakura, not Kakashi, _you_. I left them, but if I had felt the way I do about you then that I do now..."

Hinata's eyes widened as she realized what it was he was trying to tell her. Her lips parted as she tried to keep herself from reacting too strongly as her heart was pounding in her chest. Tears stung behind her eyes and she fought to cover her mouth with her hands. "Sasuke..."

His hand lightly gripped the back of her neck and he pressed their foreheads together. It was slight, but his breaths were shaky. "I don't know if I love you. I don't know _what_ it is I feel. In the end, whether I want it or not doesn't matter; I can't...lose you. So tell me what I have to do, because I don't want to chase you away."

There was some confusion, because his tone implied that he had done so before and she certainly couldn't recall a time when he had. Maybe he referring to his actions the past six months? Regardless, she felt a myriad of emotions at the confession. She couldn't really explain what it was between them; it confused her to no end as well. Right now, however, she knew exactly what and how she felt about him.

Shaking her head she cupped his cheek with her hand, still fighting back tears. He was so many things, almost all of them were negative, but he wasn't an evil person. Angry, bitter, depressed even; but not evil. She couldn't even imagine the pain he had suffered nor could she imagine how he must feel about wanting to have someone in his life again after years of keeping people away.

It was obvious that he was afraid; most of his actions concerning the beginning of their relationship had been either from confusion or fear that she would fall into the arms of another. His jealousy was from insecurity – Hinata was one of the few girls, if not only – who had never held feelings for him. His confidence in being able to keep her wasn't high as it would have been with any other female.

It had taken a few days, but Hinata understood that his reluctance concerning his feelings and their relationship was because he was afraid of losing someone he cared about again. This admission cemented that; which meant that his feelings were genuine. He didn't want them because he didn't want to go through that pain again. Who would? She wasn't entirely sure what had brought the confession on but she knew what she needed to do.

"You don't have to do anything." She said softly, glad she was already blushing as her thumb moved along his cheek. "You're also...the first person I've let into my heart since Naruto-kun. You're not very nice," he frowned slightly at that but remained silent. "but there are things about you...and those things are why I'm here. So, it's okay.

"You don't have to worry; I won't leave you unless you really want me to go. I said that I'd be with you and you're the first...so..." she looked down "W-what I'm trying to say is t-that I...I care about you a lot. You won't ever have to worry about me leaving you for another guy..." she looked at him. "I...chose you. S-so..."

She was cut off when he closed the distance between their lips and she sighed, melting into his embrace as he pulled her tight against him. She easily parted for him but his kiss was slow, as if he had all the time in the world. Wrapping her arms around him, she returned his affection with equal intensity. He made a muffled sound and then warmth filled her as his arms practically wrapped around her body and he leaned more into the kiss.

How long they were like that she had no idea, all she knew was that he felt wonderful to her. He was warm and his lips were soft, his tongue almost teasing. No one had ever held her as close as he was right now and she felt safe. It was a crazy thought but she actually felt safe in the arms of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Hinata." It was whispered against her lips as they parted, panting lightly. His hands were framing her face, dark eyes hooded as he took her in. His pale face was lightly tinted with red and then he leaned in again, this kiss a bit more heated.

It wasn't until there was the sound of something sizzling that the two teens broke apart. Turning, Hinata let out a soft cry when one of the pots began to boil over, scurrying about to find a dish cloth and mitts to move it. Even through her mild panic over their dinner she was thinking about what had just transpired between them.

She had honestly been worried about things because he had seemed so upset over having the feelings to begin with. He had just 'given in' and that was a horrible way to begin a relationship, yet she had agreed anyway, for two reasons. One, if she had rejected him it would have seriously hurt and that wasn't something she had wanted to do – even if it wasn't a good reason to be with someone. Two, she had hoped that maybe things would change. Also foolish, but she had refused to believe that he was simply incapable of truly feeling something for someone.

The Hyuuga was very glad she had gone with her feelings. It would take time; Sasuke wasn't as strong as he portrayed himself to be when it came to certain things. Because of his past he would probably still continue to be insecure and jealous over any guy who gave her attention. He would probably fret over her more than necessary because his fear and complex was very real and very serious. He would break if he lost the last and only person he cared about, they both knew that.

It was going to be a long and hard road, Hinata understood this. It would probably take him years before he would feel comfortable and secure about her being a constant in his life; if he ever truly did. He would have to work hard, just as she would have to work hard to show him that she wasn't going anywhere under any circumstances.

_And besides Naruto-kun and some of the elders, everyone else will be against us._ Which would help not at all.

But she didn't regret her decision, especially not now. He was willing to change and do whatever necessary to make them work; that was enough for her.

"Oh, good, everything is fine." She observed, pleased. Feeling much better than she had in a while, she turned to Sasuke and started. He was staring at her, but it was the look he was giving her that made her pause. The Uchiha blinked and it was gone but her feelings deepened just a bit more at the display.

_He really does want to be with me...it's just going to take time._ She was patient and while she never thought she would feel this way, it was worth it.

"Sorry." It wasn't a genuine apology and she giggled, turning back to dinner. If he kept distracting her dinner really would go up in smoke.

"Um, as for staying," she began, peeking at the oven, pleased to see that her special dish she had made for him was almost done. "I um, Naruto-kun has me officially listed as being on mission for the next three days so I um...w-well I was going to m-maybe stay with someone else but we had figured that m-maybe the days would help us um, get to know each other a little better..."

"Three days?" when she looked at him he seemed thoughtful. "Stay here then. I'll sleep on the couch or whatever and..." he cut himself off, thinking better of what he had planned on saying. "If you want, anyway."

"Okay." She flashed him a small smile as the timer for the oven went off. She could still feel his eyes on her back as she pulled out the dish and began to set everything up for the table. She had made onigiri, miso soup, tempura vegetables, and then the specialty dish.

"What is that?" he asked and she jumped, surprised at how he had snuck up behind her. He was actually very close, she could feel the heat of his body and his face was close to hers as he peeked over her shoulder. Pointing to the dish he turned his head slightly to her before looking back down abruptly, his face heating again.

He was so...cute. She _never_ thought she would associate Sasuke with 'cute' but his awkwardness around her was so normal and boyish she couldn't help herself. It also warmed her heart, because Sasuke _needed_ a normal life. Happiness had been ripped from him at a tender age and it made her feel good that she could do something so simple and yet so significant for him.

After years of pain, he deserved some happiness, some normalcy.

"It's scalloped tomatoes." She explained and giggled at the small noise he made. He really did love tomatoes. "It's hard to tell because of the bread crumbs b-but when I saw the recipe I thought maybe..." now she felt a little shy. It couldn't be helped, he _was_ her first boyfriend and their relationship had only just begun. "S-since it's your first night, um, being out of the house for good I thought maybe w-we could celebrate..."

"Hn." He pulled back and began to grab the box of onigiri to take to the 'dining room', which was little more than a table in open space. "I like your cooking." She didn't see his face as he walked away but she had a feeling he was probably embarrassed.

He really _was_ trying; it gave her a lot of hope.

Sasuke helped her set up the table and bring the food out. They didn't speak but the silence was very comfortable. He absolutely refused to look at her as he ate but considering how he had ended up practically eating the entire tomato dish by himself – she wasn't a huge fan of tomatoes like he was – it was a safe bet that he had liked it.

While she cleaned up he went to go take a shower and Hinata went through her mind what they would do for three days. She was positive he wouldn't try anything – not without her permission, anyway – and she felt safe around him so staying was fine. She wouldn't take his bed, however, that was just rude.

Hinata decided not to tell him that after this she would actually be heading off on a B ranked mission for two weeks; he probably wouldn't take well to the news. It wouldn't be a difficult mission but that wouldn't matter to Sasuke, her being out where she could be hurt would be enough to upset him.

She sighed, although there was a smile on her face. It would be a long road indeed.

By the time she had finished he was out of the shower. He was wearing a black shirt and matching drawstring pants, thick hair still damp. Hinata wondered briefly if the reason his hair looked the way it did was because it had never seen a blow dryer before and she began to giggle loudly at the image.

"What's so funny?" he was giving her a look that clearly expressed he had no idea what her problem was, which only made her giggle more. When no answer was forthcoming he shook his head and headed for the couch. "Girls are weird." He muttered to himself as he flopped down, stretching out and putting his arm over his eyes.

"Oh, are you going to sleep?" she began to walk over.

"Yeah. I haven't slept on the bed yet so I can't tell you if it's comfortable or not but..."

She began to panic, shaking her head. "N-no I can't..." he raised his arm to regard her blandly. "It's your apartment, I can't just..."

"Yeah, and you're my _girlfriend_," he reminded her "I'd be kind of a jerk if I made you sleep on the couch while I took the bed." Then, as if he realized what he had just said, he turned over on his side to hide his embarrassment at openly acknowledging their relationship. "Just take the bed."

"But...it's not right..." she looked down at her feet, upset. She really didn't want to deprive the owner of their home of their bed; it just felt wrong to her.

"Are you serious?" he sat up, clearly confused. "I thought girls _expected_ us to give up the bed while we take the couch. It's like some sort of unspoken rule or whatever." A pause. "Never mind, I keep forgetting you're not like other girls." He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe her antics, and stood.

Her nose scrunched up a bit, a little offended. "W-well...I might not be like other girls but –"

"I didn't say it was a bad thing." He closed the distance and lightly grabbed her wrist. "C'mon." He began to guide her to the bedroom and confusion crossed her features.

"Um, Sasuke-kun...what –"

"Compromise." He said flatly. With one fluid motion she was suddenly up in his arms and she let out a squeak, wrapping her arms around his neck. He then unceremoniously dumped her on the bed and she let out another undignified squeak while he crawled on behind her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist before she could recover and warmth washed over her back as he pulled her close.

When he yawned Hinata realized he was genuinely tired. She wondered when the last time he had slept; he didn't seem like the sort of person to get tired easily.

"Go to sleep." He murmured drowsily and yawned again. "We're going out tomorrow night."

Squirming, she tried to get away – this was incredibly embarrassing – but he refused to let her go. "W-we are?" she continued to squirm until it dawned on her that he wasn't going to answer her. When she was able to turn a bit to look at him she realized why.

He was fast asleep.

It was then that Hinata noticed the slight rings underneath his eyes. He actually looked peaceful, lips slightly parted as he breathed evenly. She stared at him for a long time, smiling to herself. He obviously felt very relaxed to fall asleep so easily, although she was sure being full on such a large meal helped. He had eaten quite a lot; the tomato dish alone had been enough to feed six people.

So she settled down, interlacing her fingers with the hand draped over her and closed her eyes. She actually wasn't tired, but that was alright. Eventually she did fall asleep, hopeful, positive, and happy.

xxxxx

It was unbearably hot in the room and he panted as his hands slid up her body. She squirmed, causing her ass to rub against his thickening erection and earning her a low moan. He moved his hips, kissing her neck as he cupped her breasts, rolling the sensitive buds of her nipples between his fingers. She whispered his name and one hand slid down to her stomach, pulling her against him as they rocked together.

"Hina..." he whispered the name in her ear as his hand moved further down, fingers sliding between slick folds. She arched her back, her hand reaching behind her to grip short black locks. He trailed his tongue up her neck and along the shell of her ear. "Spread your legs for me, Hina."

She did and he slid inside of her, a hard groan escaping. It felt as amazing as he thought it would. Gripping her thigh he moved, thrusting hard and deep, loving the way she would moan his name. She met his thrusts as he sucked on her neck, fingers digging into skin.

"You're mine, Hinata." He said hotly against her skin and she shivered. Sweat covered their bodies but he could care less, not with how good he felt being inside of her. "I'm never letting you go."

"Sasuke," she said breathlessly and he increased the tempo as if felt himself climbing higher. Oh yes, he was almost there. He couldn't believe how good she felt, he couldn't get enough.

Arm wrapping around her, he jerked his hips, moving as hard as he could inside of her, his head tipping back as he quickly began to reach his peak. "Hina," teeth nipped at her neck as he felt that familiar tensing. Just a bit more. "Yes," it was a low moan "Yes, I'm almost there, baby; you feel incredible."

She tugged hard on his hair and he grunted, biting down hard on her shoulder as the tension hit its peak. "Fuck, Hinata I'm –" lips parted and his eyes closed right as he reached the edge...

His eyes snapped open as he jerked awake; panting, sweaty, and with the hard-on from hell.

_You've...got to be kidding me._ He _hated_ those damn dreams, they always felt so good and then right when he would reach his limit he'd wake up or it'd switch to a nightmare. He should have realized it immediately; he only talked crazy like that when he was dreaming.

Well, at least they weren't every night like they had been before he had first kissed her when he'd had that panic attack. His feelings of homicide had been genuine at the time; he had been confused and frustrated in more ways than one.

It was still dark in the room but he could tell that it was early morning. Closing his eyes he sighed. Well, at least he had gotten more hours of sleep than normal. He had been so completely exhausted after his shower it hadn't even been remotely amusing.

_Man, it's really hot._ Why did he feel so much warmer than normal?

"...suke..."

Dark eyes flew open as his mind fought through his grogginess. That voice had been distinctively female and...did it just moan?

"Sasuke..."

Every muscle in his body became rigid when he realized three things. One, Hinata was lying in the bed with him in the exact same position she had been in his dream, except she was clothed. Two, her face was flushed and she was very obviously moaning in her sleep which looked..._really_ hot in his current state of mind. Three, she was probably doing that because his hand was underneath her jacket and had a surprisingly firm grip on a full breast.

How he hadn't noticed that upon waking was beyond him but since his hand was already there he squeezed gently, earning him another little moan. She squirmed and just like in the dream her ass rubbed against him. He let out a low noise, resisting the urge to move his hips against her to relieve some of the tension.

Had this been a few years ago he would have gotten up and practically ran away, horribly embarrassed and feeling like a pervert. However, he was no longer twelve. He was eighteen, hormonal, _very_ aroused, with his very hot girlfriend making all sorts of wonderful noises because he was – basically – feeling up on her very ample breast. Top it off with the steamy dream he had just had and all logical thought was cheerfully tossed aside in his lust-filled haze.

Propping himself up enough so he could look down at her face, dark eyes heated with desire watched as she panted and moaned under his touch. He was gentle, not wanting to wake her and break the spell. His hand squeezed as his fingers rolled a hardened bud through her mesh shirt. Like her his lips were parted, breaths a little ragged.

She whispered his name and it sounded nothing like it had in his dream; the real thing was _much_ better. Hinata was breathtaking and he marveled at how _he_ was making her move and squirm and say his name. Although he wanted to do nothing more than to bury himself deep inside of her like he had in his dream, bringing her pleasure was bringing _him_ pleasure and it fed his attention starved ego when it came to her.

Leaning forward, he brushed his lips along her cheek and trailed his tongue along the shell of her ear. How far could he take this? She looked so good but something about waking her didn't appeal to him. He smirked as it hit him that she actually wanted him sexually; it was an incredible high and it became a challenge.

"Mm," he purred against her ear, pressing as close as he dared, his hips moving instinctively against her. "You're beautiful, Hinata." She whimpered in response and he kissed along her exposed neck. Satisfied that she was responding to his voice he became bolder. "Say my name, I want to hear it."

Sasuke licked his lips as his name came out as a half-whimper, half-moan; breaths becoming shallower. At this point, he would happily kill for the chance to slide inside of her like he had in his dream. Idea hitting him, his hand began to slide down her body as his lips brushed along her ear. He desired her immensely and yet watching her like this was satisfying in and of itself.

She let out a low cry when his hand slowly slid underneath her panties, his fingers gently brushing along her slit, not doing too much yet. He let out a shaky breath at the wet warmth because she was wet for _him_ and that was just...

"Does it feel good, Hinata?" her response was to gasp as he tested the waters, his fingers pressing in lightly. He knew what he was doing thanks to that 'training' but it hadn't elicited nearly the same response he was feeling from watching her. Maybe it was because he had been rather unwilling – despite his body's reaction – then while he wanted to do this with her. She was beautiful, incredibly sexy, and _his_.

Both moaned when he took the risk and slid his fingers inside of her. She was so hot and wet and she was just too much. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to move his hips too much and risk jarring her awake. He moved slowly and gently even though it was agonizing. There was a small logical part of him that was saying he needed to _stop_ because this was seriously _wrong_, but logic had nothing on horny and hormonal and was once again happily ignored.

He closed his eyes when she began to move against his hand and her back began to arch. Muscles clenched around his fingers as he increased his speed. Her eyes had fluttered open slightly but it was obvious that she was still somewhat out of it. That was fine; she was close and he wanted to take her over the edge. _Had_ to, although he wasn't quite sure why – nor did he care at the moment.

"Hinata," he murmured, kissing her temple lightly. "Let go. I want to see you." There wasn't anything in the world he wanted to see more than that right now.

A loud gasp filled the air as she arched against him, his name escaping from the soft moans she made as she climaxed, body tensing. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen as he watched her in his haze and his body was screaming at him to take her _now_, but he held back.

He pulled away, still looking at her as she panted heavily, white eyes shifting to take in her boyfriend. The Uchiha could only imagine how he must look as he licked his fingers and practically undressed her with his eyes. She even tasted good and he shifted uncomfortably at the abrasive fabric of his loose pants against his erection. No, he had definitely never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her right now.

_Mine_.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, drowsy and sated but still confused. Smirking, he shifted so that he was half on top of her, lips moving over hers. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and he moved his hips against her thigh, needing to feel her, needing the relief. She let out a startled sound and he pulled back.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" this time when she asked she looked more alarmed and slightly panicky; as if she wasn't sure of what was going on or if she was still dreaming. The panicked look slapped him back down to reality hard.

_What...what the hell am I doing?_

Jerking away from her, he got off the bed, head spinning. He felt heavily disoriented, confused, and he really needed to do something about his arousal before he continued to do something stupid. With that he stormed into the bathroom, locking the door and turning on the sink.

Splashing his burning face with cold water he looked at himself in the mirror. What stared back at him was unfamiliar.

_What just happened?_

Grunts and gasps filled the bathroom minutes later; one hand had a white knuckled grip on the counter as his back and head arched. His body actually shivered from the intense orgasm that ripped through him at his ministrations. Breathing ragged, he quickly cleaned, his mind whirling now that blood was finally returning to its rightful place.

Although he was _extremely_ embarrassed by his behavior; he couldn't regret it. Even though he had no desire to leave the bathroom and face his girlfriend after what he had just done he had enjoyed doing it. Now that his head wasn't clouded with lust and he could think rationally again, he tried to figure out what he could possibly do to fix the damage he had just caused.

She'd probably feel as if he had tried to take advantage of her; which wasn't true. He hadn't tried to do anything; his brain had taken a vacation and he had been acting on his desires. It shouldn't have happened, he shouldn't have let himself get carried away, but he wouldn't mind a repeat performance either. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this and he wondered if maybe his brain was still addled.

_I can't hide in here forever._ He put his wet hands through his hair, sighing loudly. _Why_ had he done that? Now that he was thinking straight it felt as if he could have stopped himself if he had wanted to, but it had been as if he had been drunk and high at the same time. Could he fix this? Would she think him a liar for what he had said last night in light of this morning?

"_I won't leave you."_

Gods, he hoped so. He had meant every word he had said last night.

Turning off the sink he opened the door to find her still in bed, hugging herself. Fear moved through him; she looked...upset.

"I'm..." she didn't look up at him and his chest felt hot and uncomfortable. "sorry." Looking away, he resisted the desire to sigh "You can use the bathroom here to take a shower; I won't come in again unless you tell me to." She continued to keep her gaze down at her lap and her face was very red. "Hinata, I wasn't trying to..." he cut himself off; there really wasn't anything he could say.

_I can't believe I lost control like that._ He wished he could regret it and feel guilty but he couldn't. He was upset that Hinata was upset, because he didn't want her to leave him for any reason, but that was it. "It...won't happen again."

When he reached the door to leave Hinata finally spoke up.

"I...it's...i-it's okay." When he turned to her he started. She looked highly embarrassed and nervous, but not angry. "I...um..." she looked away again, shy. "I'm not upset. I didn't...mind it." She whispered the last two words but he caught it, dark eyes widening with surprise.

For the first time, Sasuke actually felt that maybe she felt the same way he did; on all levels. Still, even he could see that intimacy wasn't something they needed in their relationship at the moment. They truthfully barely knew each other despite the strong pull they seemed to have towards one another.

Even though he was with her, he was still heavily confused and conflicted. It was maddening and at the same time it was actually...exhilarating. He felt alive again. She made him feel alive.

_I...maybe I do..._

"Go ahead and take a shower. I didn't see you with a bag but there's some clothes in there that should fit you decently for now. I'll make breakfast or something."

White eyes widened. "You can cook?" she was so amazed she had actually forgotten her embarrassment.

What a weird girl. He rolled his eyes "_Yes_, I can cook." He said with a smirk and walked out the room, giving her much needed privacy.


	12. Chapter 12

12

Apprehension filled Sakura as she made her way towards the meeting spot. To say she had been surprised by the request was an understatement; Sasuke was not an outgoing person concerning things of this nature.

He probably wanted to talk about the hospital visit, maybe put water under the bridge. Or at least, that was the assumption. They had not spoken since and she had taken to avoiding him. Not that she hadn't kept up on his progress, but the pink haired girl had felt that more distance was good distance.

She loved Naruto with all her heart and it had taken a long time for her to realize that. However, she still loved Sasuke and being around him confused her. A part of her wanted to hate him, to be angry and scream at him. Another part wanted _her_ Sasuke back, the one that she had fallen in love with and had been completely devoted to.

That was impossible, she knew, but who could ever truly forget their first true love?

As always, her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing near the three posts at the training grounds. Their training grounds. Sakura let herself hope for a moment, as Naruto had been telling her about how Sasuke was slowly but surely starting to come around. They could never be together, but she so desperately wanted her old team back.

She wanted Sasuke back. The old Sasuke.

He was as handsome as ever. Hands in his pockets, gaze focused on something in the distance. The Uchiha was wearing a high collared black shirt and pants, his clan symbol large and proud on his back. The only thing that looked out of place was the black headband around his forehead. The one which would always be a reminder he was not the twelve year old boy she had loved anymore. A sign as his time as an avenger.

He knew she was there, but didn't acknowledge her presence. Fighting the urge to wring her hands, Sakura let out a small breath, gathering her courage. The past year she had spent avoiding the Uchiha had been draining on her. She had done it to get over him because, if she were honest with herself, she had given up on him. Doing so brought mixed feelings, from disappointment to shame. Naruto still believed in him and she hoped this encounter would make her start believing in him too.

Sasuke eventually turned to her as she neared, dark gaze cold. His expression was stern and he made sure to have her full attention before he dropped the hammer.

All her hopes were crushed the moment he opened his mouth.

"Sasuke-kun..."

"Stay out of my affairs." They both said at the same time.

Sakura blinked twice at him, emerald eyes clouding with confusion. She didn't even try to smile nervously at him in an attempt to shake off the tension. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said." He was moving now, closing the distance. "Months ago, you approached Hinata. I overheard."

It took her a moment to register the words. She had almost forgotten about that incident. As always when it concerned the Uchiha, her feelings went all over the place. Confusion was replaced with anger and even jealousy. Yes, she had been trying to look out for Hinata and had been basically told to 'shove off', which had made her angry. The two females weren't really on speaking terms because of that. Hinata had even tried to turn it on her, which had really been the cutting point for her.

Her previous friend had completely ignored her warning and had continued to care for Sasuke, swearing that nothing romantic was going on. No one was fooled by that. This was Uchiha Sasuke, it was impossible to be around him for any period of time and there _not_ be something romantic there. By Sasuke's tone, even Hinata had not been impervious, despite her 'love' for Naruto.

"I only told her the truth, Sasuke." She dropped the honorific. If he could be rude, so could she. "You've hurt Naruto and me. You and I both know you could just as easily do the same to Hinata-chan. She was my friend, I didn't want her to get her hopes up. I guess I shouldn't have bothered."

"Sakura," he spoke slowly, as if dealing with a troublesome child. Still, his gaze did not unthaw and his expression remained hard and unyielding. "_You_ don't _know_ me." The empathized words were growled out. "Your crush on me? I never facilitated it. I never led you on, I never pretended to treat you as anything other than a teammate and a friend. It's really funny that you've always claimed to know me but even _Naruto_ saw what you didn't."

She didn't know him? How could he say that after everything? "Oh? And what about the times you and I would just sit and talk? You told me a lot about yourself that you didn't tell anyone else. Whenever Naruto would get out of hand I was the one you looked at, knowing I would relate to you."

"You're right." He straightened, putting his hands at his sides. "I did do those things, because I considered you to be a friend. But really, Sakura, when did I ever deceive you? I never told you I wasn't going to Orochimaru, I never told you I was going to stop pursuing power or my brother. Your feelings of betrayal, as I said before, _are your own._"

"You were going to leave without a word!" she exclaimed, years of anger and frustration finally bursting through. "We could have helped you! We wanted to help you! I begged you to take me with you!"

"I didn't want your help and I didn't _need_ it. And Sakura, let's face it, all you would have done was hold me back. You were useless to me."

The bluntness of his words struck her like a physical blow. Sakura blinked back hot tears, refusing to cry in front of him when he was being so damn _cold._

"You could barely hold your own at the chunnin exams," he continued, driving the daggers deeper into her heart. She took two steps back, he moved that many forward."You would have kept trying to dissuade me from my path. Better yet, Orochimaru would have _destroyed_ you. He would have used you against me and then I really would have had to betray you. I never would have gained the power I needed as quickly as I had if I had stayed with you."

"You don't know that –"

"Yes, I do. What I needed to kill Itachi...no one in Konoha could have given that to me. No one would have wanted to." He turned away from her then, looking up at the sky.

"No matter what, no matter why, _I_ had to be the one to kill Itachi. No one else. He wouldn't have been able to go in peace."

Now she was turning away, because she didn't want him to see her tears...and she didn't want him to see the truth.

She _didn't_ know him. Naruto understood him, but she didn't. She wasn't sure if she ever would.

"Stop comparing Hinata to you." Sakura was actually beginning to hate his voice. She remembered his words from that day, when he had accused them of clinging to something they had thought they had known.

Somehow, Naruto had learned what was underneath Sasuke. Sakura had scratched the surface, but that had been it. She now knew more about Naruto than she ever had about Sasuke, and the knowledge hurt. It hurt because it meant that even though she had been their teammate, she would never share the same tight bond they did. She would always be somewhat of an outsider. And now, Sasuke would never let her in.

It was only after a very long moment of silence that she spoke again. "You...don't hurt Hinata-chan."

"I won't." Two simple words and yet from him, they meant so much. "Not intentionally."

"Not even then!" she snapped, now wiping at her face. Damn her tears. "Because...she deserves real happiness, Sasuke. Everyone deserves someone who really loves them." Somehow, she managed to look up at him. "She said it...that she didn't...what happened?" Were they...together now?

"She didn't lie to you." He explained. "Things happened. Changed." With the lack of elaboration, she knew she wasn't going to get much else out of him. "Now we're together. I'm only telling you this because I want you out of my business and I know Naruto can't keep his damn mouth shut around you. I wanted to save a step."

Breathe in, breathe out. Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and resisted the urge to let out a shaky sigh. "Do you...love her?"

"I'm with her." Was what he said, but the look was what made her see beneath the words. His lack of elaboration was also a test. A complicated test, but one she didn't want to fail. She had failed in so many different ways concerning the two most important men in her life, she wanted to pass this one.

"All right." A nod and a slow smile. "I'll do as you say." Sakura let out the breath she had been holding. "Congratulations, Sasuke. I...I'm happy for you."

She could tell she passed when the cold gaze softened just a fraction. He shrugged, a powerful roll of the shoulders, and tilted his head slightly, hands back in his pockets. "Hn. You should make up with her, before she thinks you hate her." And with that, he was gone.

Sinking to her knees, the kunoichi hugged her middle, sobbing with a smile on her face. She felt upset, jealous, relieved, sad, angry, and just so many different things at once that all she could do was start laughing.

xxxxx

"We should burn it down." Sasuke suggested, wrapping his arm around Hinata's shoulders. "I'll even start the fire." With his free hand, he raised his fingers to his lips in the familiar gesture used for the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu.

Hinata quickly pulled his hand down, a smile touching her lips. "No! We can't burn the house down, Sasuke-kun. The Hyuuga plan to use it. We never let anything good go to waste."

"Tch. There's nothing good about this damned house." He muttered, dropping his arm to travel down the gravel path leading to the place where he had been rendered his most vulnerable. Almost another year had passed since he last set eyes on what had once been his prison and had Hinata not insisted on coming, he would have happily allowed an eternity to go by without venturing near this part of the Hyuuga estate.

Her hand landed on his shoulder as she brushed past, white eyes sparkling with emotion. "Nothing?" she asked. "I feel one good thing came from living here with you."

Instead of responding, Sasuke closed the gap, interlacing their fingers as they walked up the wooden steps together. "Why are we here, anyway?" he wanted to know.

The inside had remained virtually untouched, save for the obvious signs of cleaning and upkeep. Hinata guided them around, going through the rooms, lingering in the kitchen. Their last stop ended up being his old bedroom, now devoid of his belongings save for the furniture. She let go of his hand, walking over toward one of the windows and opening the blinds. Mid-afternoon light seeped in, drawing more attention to how vacant, how lifeless the room now felt. After everything that happened here, Sasuke found the scene surreal and admitted to himself that perhaps Hinata had a point. The foundations of their relationship had been built in this small home he had compared to a prison. Without it, would their relationship ever have happened?

She turned to him, closing the distance and grabbing both of his hands. She glanced up at him, lavender eyes bright as she smiled. "I wanted to come back to the beginning," Hinata began. "When you first asked me to be with you, I didn't know what to do at first. A part of me wanted to be by your side, but I was also afraid. Later, I learned you were also afraid, and it helped, because it made me feel we were in this together. Now, it's been a year, and we've been through so much I wanted...I _want_ to say that I'm...that I..."

Sasuke pulled her in for a soft, lingering kiss, his hands delving into her long tresses. As they parted, he pressed his forehead against hers and let out a sigh. "Yeah. Me too."

X X X X

"Are you sure about this, Hinata?"

"Yes, otousama."

"Uchiha, do you know what you're asking for? With your past, your history, I shouldn't even allow you to glance in my daughter's direction, much less marry her. The only thing you have going for you is your bloodline, and while the council may approve based on those qualifications, as her father I need something more. Why should I approve this union when you have already proved your disloyalty to the village?"

"Hiashi, if you doubted my loyalty to the village, I wouldn't be here. It's not my loyalty in question."

"Oh? Then what is?"

"You want to know if I'm doing this to restore my clan, or whether or not I love your daughter. That's what you really want to know."

"And your response?"

"I want to restore my clan _because_ I love her."

X X X X

"Hinata-chan," Sakura's smile, while genuine, carried a tint of embarrassment and regret. Chances are, her friend wouldn't even remember the discussion they had five years ago, but she felt the need to make amends. "I know I've said it already, but congratulations...to you and Sasuke-kun."

No envy or jealousy marred Sakura's heart as Hinata turned, emanating radiance in her beautiful white wedding gown. There was only a sense of contentment and acceptance, of knowing everything had happened for a reason, because both of them couldn't be happier with their lives.

"Thank you so much, Sakura-chan." Hinata beamed, looking every inch of the princess she was on her special day.

"I...wanted to apologize. Years ago I said some things...and I was wrong about everything. I was angry with Sasuke and a little jealous of you for catching his attention the way I had always wanted. Now that I look back, it all seems so silly. Watching you two today, Sasuke-kun won't smile but I know he's happy. You two belong together, and I'm so happy things worked out for all of us."

"So am I, Sakura-chan."

X X X X

"So, idiot, how does it feel to be a father?" Sasuke asked, staring out into the horizon. Beside him, Naruto chuckled as he flipped another burger on the grill.

"It's pretty great...well, besides not getting any sleep. Everyone still wants me to do Hokage stuff even when I'm dead tired. That part sucks, but everything else is awesome. What about you?"

Hinata emerged from the back door of their home then, chatting amicably with Sakura as they both carried trays of food. Both men were immediately on their feet and at their wives's sides, taking their burden over to the lawn table. The moment they set the trays down, Sasuke wrapped his arms around Hinata's round belly, arching a brow at Naruto.

"What about me?" he asked. Hinata giggled when he bent over to kiss her. "I already told you, anything you can do, I can do twice as good. I can handle anything this little guy can dish out."

Sakura rolled her eyes and exchanged a knowing glance at Hinata. "Here they go," she mouthed to her friend.

"Oy! What's that's supposed to mean, Sasuke?" Naruto scowled at the Uchiha. Then, as if reaching an epiphany, he blinked at the spatula in his hands. "And why the hell am I flipping _your_ burgers, you bastard? I'm supposed to be the guest here!"

"Fine, I'll take it back. Only a real man should be handling a grill anyway."

"What was that? Say that again to my face!"

"Naruto..." Sakura sighed and resisted the urge to slap her hand against her forehead. "Sasuke-kun is _baiting_ you..."

"No way, Sakura-chan! I'm the best at grilling! Tell them!"

Sasuke grinned. "Oh, look, now he needs Sakura to prove his manhood. Way to go, idiot, you sure showed me."

"Oh, I'm going to do more than show you." Naruto snatched up one of the trays and began placing food on the grill. "This is going to be the best barbeque ever! Your tastebuds are gonna cry after eating one of my awesome Uzumaki Burgers!"

"I give up." Throwing her hands up in the air, Sakura walked over to the small playpen next to the table to pick up her daughter.

Hinata turned in Sasuke's arms, a wry smile on her face. "Sasuke, you can't let Naruto-kun cook all the food. You two should do it together."

"Meh. It's more fun screwing with him." At Hinata's lingering stare, Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes. "_Fine_. I'll help the idiot..." his hand slid up and down her stomach affectionately. "In a few minutes."

AN: That's it, guys. Done, finished, no more. I know this might not have been the ending folks were looking for, but after so long I figured it was time to put this story to a close. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, faved, and otherwise enjoyed this story. You all are awesome.


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